Transcending Bonds
by Wolf's Honour
Summary: What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes his answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty
1. The Scarlet Eyes That Tainted The Rain

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

Cold rain poured from the darkened cerulean skies, as if the heavens had ordered this particular course of nature to wash away the dirt from Karakura Town: the dirt of pollution, the dirt of sin, the dirt of rot. Ayumi was confused as to why she could feel the cold of the rain even while she was a ghost. Even the drops splattered from her soul link, the chain that hanged from her chest.

Two months. It had taken her two months to finally realize she was not part of this world, segregated from human contact, from the warmth of her family, from the acknowledgement of her existence. She thought there was life after death, some sort of "Heaven" she was supposed to go but there was only limbo.

A gurgling growl startled her from her dazed stupor. She recognized that growl, the sound of hunger, the warning for those who lingered in the human world. It was the sound that alerted the denizens of limbo to run and hide. To run, and run until the sound of the growl became faint.

Ayumi was disappointed in this limbo. She was dead but she could still feel her lungs burning for oxygen, the thump of her heart beating so loud as if it was going to break through her chest any moment, her rasping breath becoming a burden on her throat. But all of that pain meant that the more she felt it, the less growling she would have to hear.

It meant she could live for another day.

"Ayumi-chan... I ha-ve fo-und yo-u..."

She felt a slithering tongue on the nape of her neck, raising the ends of her hair and feeling the all too familiar chill run down her spine. She felt her insides harden at the mere feeling of the disgusting saliva running down her back.

Ayumi's mind became blank for a moment. How had the creature found her? She had run as far as she could until she couldn't hear the growl anymore but the creature was right behind her, his presence made forth without a sound.

"Hoo Hoo hoo!" The creature giggled, a warped feminine voice grating Ayumi's ears. "Ah, I can smell it, Ayumi. I can smell the fear pumping from your heart. It's making your goose bumping blood smell soooo thick and in turn, your aura all the more... delectable."

What was the creature saying? How was she able to tell all these things just by looking?

"I knew letting you live in fear for a little while was a much better idea. My hollow comrades thought it was stupid but you see... all Hollows have different tastes."

"T-Tastes?" Ayumi stammered.

"Yes my dear," The Hollow said, caressing Ayumi's cheek with one of her tentacles, "Hollows must eat souls to survive and grow stronger. I am certainly no exception, however depending on how I manage my meals; I can become stronger two-folds by eating a soul full of terror. That is my little secret I keep from the other Hollows."

Ayumi's body was so rigid, she found herself unable to move a single inch. So the only reason she was able to remain alive for all this time was because this monster, this Hollow decided to do so? All so she could be ripe with fear for the moment of the feast?

Suddenly, the rain became much clearer and louder to Ayumi. She couldn't hear what the hollow was saying. She was going to die… again. This time, it wouldn't be as painful as when she was in that hospital bed, fighting the cancer that had been eating her alive. It wouldn't be as reassuring as when her older sister and her mother were both there by her bedside.

Instead, it would be lonely. No one was there to tell her she would go to a better place, where she wouldn't have to suffer anymore, where she wouldn't need to worry about seeing her family again because they would meet again someday.

It was only for a brief instant but she could've sworn that amidst the sound of the rain, she heard the wind, as if someone had blown short breath in her ear.

Ayumi, who had her eyes closed after realizing she would face imminent death, opened her eyes. The color of the rain had changed to red. She had never seen _red_ rain before. Nor she remembered seeing a tall standing figure separating her from her devourer.

"Are you hurt?" the figure said.

Ayumi blinked. Was the person speaking to her? No, it was impossible. Ayumi spent a month with no human contact, no one even glancing at her.

Yet here he was, the corner of his left scarlet eye staring directly at her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked again, coating his grave voice with a sense of urgency.

"N-No." Ayumi finally responded. Her tension had loosened somewhat. The rain had reverted to it transparent color and just like before, it was washing the dirt away: the dirt of fear, the dirt of hopelessness and the dirt of red that was flowing through the manhole. It never occurred to Ayumi that these creatures, these "Hollows" could bleed like humans do. The blade that the young man was holding, dripping with the viscous lifeline, proved it all too well.

Ayumi's eyes observed as the Hollow's corpse disintegrated into black ash. If the young man wasn't there, would she have died in the same way, her "soul" self withering away into nothingness?

Ayumi studied the young man as he flicked the blood away from his blade by whipping it once and then sheathing it at the back of his waist. The white kimono covering his torso, the dark-purple baggy pants hoisted by a thick knot-like belt and just below knee-length black sandals reminded her of ancient samurai of the past. Only the small white and red fan at the back of his kimono seemed to give the entire garb a sense of identity.

The young man took a furtive glance to his right, as if he had sensed something. He then turned completely to Ayumi, as if he was giving her one final chance to remember his facial features: Dark unruly hair, black lacquer eyes and eyebrows that seemed as if they would never relax to give up a smile.

"Stay here. The angel of death is coming." he said. Ayumi turned her head to where he had been looking before but all she saw was the empty street drowning in the seemingly never-ending torrent. When she turned to face her saviour, he was gone. The overbearing presence had disappeared as if it had never existed in the first place. Ayumi felt the familiar strength returning to her legs and she stood up, expecting the angel of death as the stranger put it. He came, clad in black, running towards Ayumi's direction and finally coming to a puttering stop.

"Hey little lady, did you see who did in the Hollow?" he asked, scoping his surroundings. "This is so weird. My soul-phone picked up Hollow readings but it disappeared again! Damn!"

Ayumi wasn't quite sure as to what to make of the situation. She had expected a long, black-robed skeleton with an overwhelming scythe as the angel of death, not a bushy-haired, bushy-browed, katana-wielding man.

"The remains of spiritual pressure still linger here," The man said with a finger to his chin, "and that means our little vigilante Soul Reaper was here. Did you see where he went?"

Ayumi shook her head. The man sighed.

"Let me guess: He disappeared in a flash, huh? How am I supposed to report this guy if I can't even get a decent visual? Oh well, guess the least I can do is send you to Soul Society."

"Soul... Society?" Ayumi repeated.

"Heaven, darling, heaven. That's what you've been waiting for all this time, right? Come on, let go of those regrets and live where you really belong." The man said, extending a hand. Ayumi stopped hearing everything else after the word heaven.

"Mother, sister, you can live in peace now." She whispered, giving her hand to the funny looking angel of death.

As the light shone brightly around her, Ayumi thanked the samurai in her heart for changing the outcome of her fate and hoped one day, she would meet the man bearing the white and red fan on his back.

* * *

I told myself I'd never do this.

I literally told myself that I would never just grab someone else's work and post it on my profile, but I have. The reason why is simple: I couldn't wait anymore. **_Transcending Bonds_**, which was originally written by _**Imperialpatty**_, has been dead for little under three years now. I've waited for him to post a new one and I realized just how dumb I was for believing her would.

Think about it. There is a myriad of reasons why a person would leave Fanfiction behind, but the most prominent one is possibly the most common: we grow out of it. Fact is, our lives change over time and as such, so do we as people. We grow out of certain things which we love in order to focus on our lives and careers, on our friends, family, jobs. Fanfiction is nice, but it doesn't pay the bills, for rent, for food, and it doesn't continue friendships that go back since you were a four year old on the playground.

I can understand why and that is my reason why I have taken Transcending Bonds myself.

I don't believe I have the ability to actually continue what Imperialpatty started years ago, but I'm still going to try. I'm not going to change much of anything, and I'm going to leave the original author notes. But… I am going to make standard edits, such as grammar, vocab, spelling. That is it. Touching anything else would only dishonour the memory of the author who started this yet never finished this epic.

Please, if you feel like I shouldn't do this, feel free to tell me. Because frankly I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, of authors much more qualified to write this than I, but I feel this needs to be continued.

So I'm going to try.

Send me the verdict.

**Wolf's Honour**


	2. An Everyday Occurence

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

Dampened, virulent skies swayed in one direction slowly, allowing the beams of sunlight finally passing through. He felt one of them on his cheek, its warmth waking him gently. He allowed his mind to recollect itself and then stood up, feet on the grainy ground. He was bemused at how dry his clothes were after the diminutive monsoon but he paid no heed any further.

At the moment, what mattered was breakfast.

The dark haired teen walked until he reached the edge of the roof. He looked down and almost mistook the people and cars for ants. He took one step further and allowed himself to drop. The wind force created at by his precipitation felt good while he checked his reflection at the passing stainless windows. He still looked the same as ever, and nothing of his persona gave any hints as to whom or what he really was.

Realizing that he would soon reach the ground, the modern-day samurai decreased his flight drop and came to a complete stop, inches away from the ground, billowing dust smoke. He gracefully landed and began to walk, hoping to hear his cue.

It didn't take too long. The whimpering of a frightened man, the threats of lowlifes and the sound of a jackknife unsheathing was all he needed to hear. He first knocked the victim unconscious, and then proceeded to do the same to the muggers. He then collected the criminal's wallets, emptied them of their monetary values, imparted some to the victim's back pockets and then headed for the delicatessen as if nothing had occurred.

An everyday occurence, as one might put it.

This was Uchiha Sasuke's morning routine. To satisfy his hunger, he decided to apply the "kill two birds with one stone" formula. Of course, the hardest part was to get food from the deli. He had learned from prior experience that simply taking what he wanted and leaving change on the counter was not going to cut it, especially if many saw flying BLT sandwiches and floating yen bills.

"Don't worry, I'll handle lit. Just give me the change." An old, kind-hearted voice said behind him. Sasuke perked at the small figure behind him. He had met her before once. She told him her story as a once very popular medium back in her days.

Sasuke handed the change without mentioning what he wanted. He didn't need to-the old lady already knew. She returned quickly with his morning meal. "Thank you."

"It's nothing dear. Come to my house one these days. I'll treat you to something delicious." she offered. Sasuke nodded and left. He would most likely never step foot there, not because he didn't want to but because he didn't want to make a habit of it.

Otherworldly denizens caught on to habits.

When Sasuke had once repeatedly gone to visit a certain spiritual medium in hopes of getting some answers as to why he could not recall anything but his name, one day, he found the place thrashed and the corpse of the dead priest in the middle of the carnage. The police had made it a joke that perhaps demons had come to exact revenge on the man but Sasuke knew better.

That day, Sasuke slew nine Hollows.

Sasuke perched himself on a gas station, munching on his sandwich. Eating was awfully strange to him. One would think that souls do no need to feed themselves but he guessed that hunger transcended all forms of existence. If pain, joy, sorrow and anger were human experiences, then they surely transcended once the mortal coil perished. That surely would apply to memories as well, right?

So then why that particular component of one's self did not transcend with him?

Sasuke had the chance to speak with many souls and they all remembered their past lives, right up until the moment of their death. Yet all he could remember was his name and somehow the ability to fight well.

That part confused him to no end. At first, he thought maybe he was one of those death gods due to the fact that he also wielded a sword but his clothing was different and he could not perform soul burial like them. He thought maybe it'd be best if he asked for their assistance but then this feeling of doubt would creep upon his chest and bulge his thinking, as if to warn him to stay of away from those in black. Instincts created the walls of doubts and those walls apparently had only been created for warding off these death gods. He didn't know the reason behind it but nevertheless, he decided to trust these instincts of his.

After all, if he couldn't trust himself, who was supposed to do it for him?

A spiritual pressure blanketed the streets, a foul and malefic one. Four more joined the ominous energy. Sasuke stood up and whispered to no one in particular "there is a disturbance in the Force..."

It's been a line he had always wanted to try and say. He had heard it many times during a special event that had been held once in the heart of Karakura's entertainment district and yet, somehow, it didn't sound as good as he thought it would have.

The raven-haired youth bolted to the nearest flow of spiritual pressure, biting the last piece of his sandwich nonchalantly. When he arrived at the scene, the quadruple-horned Hollow had already committed its crime: the gruesome, dismembered body of a salary man, judging from the attire of the corpse. The face was completely unrecognizable and the only thing that kept Sasuke from retching was desensitization caused by countless exposure to similar stated corpse.

"How about that? I was wondering where I would get my next meal and then you show up." The Hollow said, its eyes transfixed on the dead man as if it were a prized trophy. "Now...how shall I eat you up?"

"There won't be a next meal for you," Sasuke answered, sword unsheathed. "Because my sword has foretold your destined demise."

"What the hell are you?" The hollow asked, turning its heard as soon as it heard the slashed wind. "Wha..."

Sasuke had already sheathed his sword by the time the Hollow's ivory skull fell to the ground. "My name is Sasuke. Remember it on your journey to Hell."

He took one last look at the dead salary men, closing his eyes solemnly, and then took off.


	3. The Regret of all Regrets

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

The human populace of Karakura Town, namely the justice system part of it, had already released a city wide alert for anyone who knew who had a hand in the grisly murder of Shinichi Takemura, a forty-seven year-old father of three who was on his way to work when he met his untimely end. Donations had already come forth to aid the family for burial services and many who knew Shinichi were stricken with grief and sorrow.

All of this commotion was seen by the ever indifferent appearing eye of Uchiha Sasuke. What had happened… happened. He had no regrets. He did what he could and that was it. Sure, the patrolling death god wasn't too happy about some unknown force doing work for him but he was not ready to just stand there and wait for the patrol guard.

He had done it once and it was that one time only when he felt immense regret.

It happened on a day not different from any other. The usual routines held by the humans were in full motion, the patrol death god was doing his job of making sure the streets of Karakura were safe and Sasuke was his usual self as well.

The only difference was that, at the time, Sasuke cared more for his own safety than usual. That meant avoiding the death god's gaze at any cost. Even if that cost was the dozen of lives Sasuke had chosen to ignore that day rather than risk of being discovered. Sure, trusting his instinct was the right thing to do but he had also learned on that day that there was a time and place to decide trusting one's instinct.

There was a swarm of Hollows that day. The earthly celebration of Halloween had not helped at all, especially with specific religious sects having taken specific rituals for that specific day only. Death god squads had been dispatched so Sasuke figured it would've been fine he just stayed under their radar. Unfortunately for him, there was a particular Hollow who had the same plan in mind. Not just it but its two "brothers" as well. They possessed the ability to dig underground creating mudholes where humans stood, the hole sucking their prey in. Sasuke gritted teeth after the trio of centipede looking Hollows devoured their meals. He had figured that any moment now, the grim reapers would swoop down and brandish their justice upon the monsters.

The trio of Hollows had already eaten six more humans by the time Sasuke pondered the thought. Something had definitely been not right. The death gods were supposed to have come by then but there was no forthcoming presence at all. He wanted to jump in and do away with the Hollows but he reasoned that what if at that moment, the death gods came? He would be discovered and then who knows what might've happen to him. Maybe it was a trap. Maybe that's exactly what the soul reapers were waiting for.

Meanwhile, the Hollows continued their eating spree, oblivious to the human's despair, oblivious to Sasuke's despair.

"This is awesome big bro," one of them said. "We can eat to our content without the interference of those damned shinigami."

"I agree. Big bro, this is the best." The other one said, between chomps.

"Ku ku ku..because we are the weakest of Hollows, those Shinigami are too occupied with greater presences than our own. In addition, our "meta-garganta" ability near completely mask our presence. Once we are done here, brothers, we shall strike another area I have in mind."

Sasuke instantly became deaf to the Hollows' cackles. He had heard it in plan language: the reason why the soul reapers had not arrived at the scene of the massacre was because they were not only occupied but unable to sense these... pathetic creatures.

Sasuke had gone on a rampage of his own that day. He never forgave himself for what had happened and lived with the regret of his own selfishness. This was the reason why Sasuke decided that he would do whatever he could do within his power, no matter the end result. He truly felt that if he did give his all in any situation, he would never have to live with the regret he had acquired on that day.

Sasuke watched as the news broadcast came to an end and then decided to head home.

* * *

**Just a quick author's note: The "meta-garganta" I made up here is nothing like the real thing. These hollows can just temporarily created half-baked dimensional paths to reach their target. I'm just putting that out there so that people won't make a fuss about it.**


	4. The Beginning of Fateful Coincidences

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

"Home" was essentially the tallest skyscraper Sasuke laid his eye on. It was where he rested day to day, where he liked to gaze at the horizon, where he tried as much as he could to recollect his memories. Alas, he was unable to remember a single thing. The reason why Sasuke had picked the tallest skyscraper was although he could not remember a thing; there was an embellished wave of nostalgia that washed over him whenever he breathed in the scenery of Karakura Town as a whole.

"Home..."

The words softly escaped his lips as his eyes drew to a close.

* * *

Sirens blared, startling the youth awake. The heavenly lights were paled by heavy clouds. Sasuke's nose twitched. "Smoke?" he thought, dashing at the edge of the roof.

It wasn't his building that was on fire. It was the building next to his that was set ablaze. Sasuke immediately dropped down to get a better grasp at the situation. Fire trucks were stationed on site. A fence had been installed to keep the multitude of people at bay, while firefighters darted in all directions. Despite the urgency of the situation, it appeared to be controlled and no one was reported hurt. However, despite the contained emergency, there was a man who kept on shouting a name over and over again.

"MASAKI! MASAKI! WHERE ARE YOU?! MASAKI!"

The man was furiously swimming against the current of anxious people, looking for the one called Masaki. Sasuke wondered who this Masaki was but even if he wanted to help, there was no possible way for a mere human to hear him out. At that time, the Uchiha observed the frantic firefighters being more anxious than ever.

"...she's on the fifth floor, trapped between a broken down ventilation shaft and a pile of rubble."

"And you said she was pregnant?"

"Yes captain!"

"Damn. Call dispatch for more backup. We'll try to..."

By then Sasuke had heard all that he had needed. A helpless woman was trapped and she was going to be burned to ashes if help came too late. He phased himself in on the second floor and then flew three stories up. His eyes darted in all directions, as if they were expecting a victim in sight. All he was met was thick black smoke and fires as hot as the summer's noon sun. As he recalled, the firefighter had said that the pregnant woman was trapped between a broken down ventilation shaft and a pile of rubble. There were two problems with the statement: one, there were tons of pile of rubble and two, Sasuke had no idea what a ventilation shaft looked like. The other semi-related problem was that even if he shouted to get some response, the pregnant woman would not be able to hear a ghost.

Nevertheless, he had to do something.

If she was still alive, it had to be in an area were the smoke was the least concentrated. Sasuke went forward, all the while making sure he was below smoke level. The heat of the flames didn't bother him too much but being exposed for long periods would prove even fatal to him.

He kicked a door in but found the room empty. The fire hadn't reached here yet and the damages were in the beginning stages. Sasuke closed the door and proceeded to force open another one. The floor had completely caved in. If she was in that room, there would be no escape from death. Sasuke was growing frustrated. Were could a pregnant woman be? He had seen a few before and they always seemed as if they had trouble moving about during the end stages except for when they had to go to-

"WASHROOM!" Sasuke said out loud. The raven-haired man braved the flames and ran deep in several hallways until he saw a door with the men's sign on it. However, when he looked on his right, a mound of debris was piled up against a scorched wall. It took him only a second to figure out that the lady's restroom was blocked by it so he went into the men's bath and then phased to the adjacent lavatory. There, a big hunk of metal was resting at an angle against a broken window. Sasuke's eyes peeped down and noticed a pair of legs. Sasuke gulped as he pushed aside the hunk of metal.

There, laid on the ground, was a very beautiful woman, with sun-blessed hair, wearing an overflowing dress. Her belly was big, indicating she was near-ending her pregnancy. The Uchiha bent down, beads of cold sweat running from his forehead, and touched with two fingers her neck.

There was no beating.

Sasuke heart raced for a second. There was still her chest left to test. He had to hear her heart beat. Once his ear was pressed against her bosom, he was intensively relieved to hear the steady heartbeat. She was unconscious but alive.

Sasuke's eyes furrowed deeply and resolved upon himself an iron willed goal to get the mother and the unborn child out of the raging flames safely no matter what the cost. Sasuke withdrew his blade and unleashed quick strokes upon the wall. He then took a step back and then with all his might jump kicked the lacerated structure, blowing an escape hole. The Uchiha then lifted the woman quickly but gently and then jumped outside. He flew quite a distance away from the burning building and then slowly dropped unto the ground.

He looked at the woman once more with a feeling of great relief and happiness. He didn't know why but there was something about her that compelled him to do whatever it took to save her life. Now all he needed to do was somehow get a paramedic here to complete the rescue.

"MASAKI!"

Sasuke quickly whipped around, startled at the voice behind him. It was the dark, bearded haired man who had been looking for someone earlier. The Uchiha was rendered immobile with indecisiveness of the situation: how was the man going to react with a floating pregnant woman in the air? Should he make a run for it? Should he just simply hand her over to the man or-

"Thank you so much. Thank you." The man said sincerely, trembling with emotion. Sasuke was stricken with surprise at the second human being who had the ability to see him. Words couldn't come out of his mouth so all he did was hand the woman over gently to the man.

"H-Hospital..." Sasuke finally blurted, still reeling from the shock. The dark haired man looked straight ahead, a look in his eyes that could've easily rivaled the previous determination Sasuke had.

"I'll get her there for sure." He declared and started to run ahead. Sasuke then felt a drop of rain on his nose. Once again, he felt the need to simply make sure the couple was alright. Sasuke took a step forward and ran into the now night sky.

* * *

**So just in case some of you where wondering where we are in this Bleach timeline, well now you know. And just in case you still didn't figure out, we are 15 years before the main storyline begins, ergo, 15 years before Ichigo gets soul reaper powers.**


	5. The Questions Trapped in Misery

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

Sasuke stood quietly in the corner-most wall of the prenatal division of the hospital. Sitting would've been an option if he was human but alas regular people could not see ghost so when one sat on Sasuke and cried out in fear that he was feeling a terribly cold shiver down his spine, the Uchiha got up quickly and positioned himself where no one would bother him. No need to further agitate the weary hearts of the patient.

Being in a hospital was a new experience for Sasuke. He had always seen them from the exterior but never bothered to step into one. The emergency bay that had admitted the woman known as "Masaki' smelled like a batch of antiseptic aroma. Whether it was to cloud the sickness clearly exhibited by those in stretchers or to mask the retching and wailing of others; it made no matter.

The hospital was depressing place to save lives.

The prenatal division proved to be completely different though. It was the only area that seemed to radiate with life. The hallways had infantile decorum, an effect created to put people at ease and soothe their comfort. After Masaki had been given a full body scan in the intensive care unit, the doctors revealed to her husband that she had barely inhaled any smoke, probably due to the broken window in the burning building. However, the reason of her unconsciousness was most likely due to the contractions her body had suddenly undergone and now she was in labor with her husband right by her side. The man had urged Sasuke to witness the miracle of life but the young Uchiha didn't want to risk anything that could happen out of blue because he was a ghost.

Hence here he was, waiting quietly for the news.

Suddenly, Sasuke heard cries and shouts of joy. He peered out of the dark just enough to see the dark bearded man prancing like a maddened ballerina, shaking and hugging the doctors and nurses wildly. His overbearing cheerful eyes locked with Sasuke's and then he immediately sprinted over to his side like his life depended on it. He came to a grinding halt with his mouth wide open.

"Erm, what's your name?" he asked suspiciously in a low voice. Sasuke backed one step away, almost afraid to answer.

"S-Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." He said, regretting it the moment he saw the twinkle in the man's eyes beaming.

"SAAAAASSUUKKKEEE! TODAAYYY ISSS IS A GREEEAAAT DAAAY!" The man boomed in Sasuke's ear. It was so loud, the Uchiha feared that the mad man might have completely obliterated his eardrums off. Tears welled within the man's eye as he bear-hugged Sasuke. "I'M A FATHER. I'M FINALLY A FATHER!'

He let go of Sasuke and then vigorously moved his hands up and down, all the while screaming "banzai" over and over again. The embarrassing celebration finally came to an end when a middle-aged nurse smacked the new father's head with her clipboard.

"Can you please be quiet?!" She viciously snapped. "This is a hospital, for crying out loud. Please keep it in mind." She said, adding an "hmpf" as she walked away just as furiously as she came the first time. The bearded man blinked for a minute, sat down and then let out a breath of relief. He then looked up to Sasuke.

"I'm...a father." He said, beaming with the most proud smile Sasuke had ever seen. The swordsman was completely astonished at the man's facial gesture. It was his first time seeing a human experience real and true happiness. Sasuke couldn't help but curving his own lips slightly.

"Congratulations." He said to the man and meant every letter.

"Thank you."

The two males remained quiet for a while, basking in some sort of ethereal sense of euphoria. The man wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm Isshin."

Sasuke perked up. He had finally heard the identity of the one who was able to see and hear him. "Oh..."

"I really can't thank you enough for what you've done for Masaki and my newborn son. I'm really grateful." he said. "Hey, do you mind if we step out for a sec?"

"No, I don't mind." Sasuke said, all the while wondering what Isshin could have wanted to do outside. "_Shouldn't he be by his wife's side?"_

They exited the hospital through the main entrance. Ishin felt his pockets until he felt the familiar shape of the carton box of smokes in his hands. He lit one up, drew in a breath and then released it.

"Sasuke… I know I've said it before but-

"You've thanked me enough, Isshin. You don't have to do any more." Sasuke said.

"Ah, I know." Isshin said as he drew another lungful. "Still, I have to repay you somehow."

"You don't have to. I did it because I wanted to. That's all there is to it." Sasuke declared, unfaltering in his choice. Isshin stared at Sasuke for a brief second, and then laughed heartily.

"Very strong words. I like them. Still, just like you, I want to do things because I want to, and repaying people's kindness is part of the things that I want to do." Isshin said. "I hope you have no objections?"

Sasuke realized that no matter how many times he would refuse a repayment, he would surely be met with rebuttal. "Even if you wanted to help me, you can't."

"Try me." Isshin tested.

"I can only remember my name and nothing else." Sasuke informed. "I have only this sword. I'm not even dressed like _them_ to say I'm one of them. I don't have a soul chain like other souls in limbo do."

He paused, allowing the flood of questions to invade his mind before speaking them. "Who am I? What am I? What's my purpose here? Is there anyone who knows me out there? How did I become a ghost? How did I die to become one? Is there anyone out there worrying about me? Am I...going to be alone here forever?"

Sasuke put a hand over his mouth, surprised at everything he had blurted out as if was pure reflex. He hadn't meant to unveil all of his worries to the bearded man. "I-I'm sorry. Just now, I didn't meant to-

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about."

"No, really, I-

Isshin locked dead serious eyes with Sasuke. "Sasuke! I can only begin to imagine how lonely you must have been here. I _know_, I know: souls can't interact with human beings. I can't even fathom what's it like for someone to be ignored because people can't see or hear them at all."

Isshin's words hit right at home. Four years in Karakura and he had been able to interact with three people only. His first days of his self-awareness were horrible. Calling out, reaching out to people only to be met with eyes that stared straight ahead and never to him.

"Isshin...I want closure, just like any soul would want to." Sasuke finally said, face crestfallen. Isshin smoked his last bit and then chucked the butt in a nearby ashtray.

"You're right: I absolutely can't help you." He said.

"It's alright. You already did. Thanks for listening." Sasuke said sincerely. He wasn't expecting anything but he was truly grateful for someone to listen to his problems.

"Hey, just because I said I can't help you doesn't mean I don't know someone who can." Kurosaki said, grinning ear to ear.

"If it's another priest, don't bother. I don't want him to die on my behalf." Sasuke said, remembering an earlier incident.

"He's not a priest." Isshin rectified. "Although...well you'll just have to see for yourself." Isshin withdrew a pocket-sized notebook form his shirt pocket and began writing in there. "How well do you know Karakura Town?"

"Maybe almost every nook and cranny. Why do you ask?" Sasuke queried. Isshin ripped the page he wrote on and gave it to Sasuke. The swordsman's gaze scrutinized the drawing of a small house between two large buildings.

"I've never seen this before." The Uchiha admitted. Isshin grinned.

"But it does exist... just not up to human standards." he said. Sasuke eyed him quizzically as he folded the paper and hid it in the confines of his kimono.

"Thanks again." Sasuke said. Isshin held a hand up.

"Don't worry about it. I hope you find your memories. After all, there's got to be someone worried about you, right?" he said, doing his ear to ear grin. Sasuke began to hover upwards.

"Hey Sasuke, come visit after you're done!" Isshin hollered as he waved. "It's a clinic fifteen minutes from the park near the Benihime district. You can't miss it."

Sasuke nodded and waved back. _There's got to be someone worried about you, right?_ The words echoed within his mind. The raven haired youth shrugged the ridiculous idea away as he flew into the morning dawn.


	6. The Shopkeeper's Proposal

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

Jinta lifted his baseball bat at the zenith, the glorious sunny rays illuminating his personal engraved name on the sport equipment. There was nothing like a baseball bat to shout in silent volumes manliness when it came to prove his masculinity to whoever was watching him.

Even if that person was the ever seemingly impervious Ururu.

"Aren't you gonna say something?" Jinta snapped at the dust sweeping little girl. Ururu looked at Jinta, a budding confused feature marking her eyes. The brandished baseball bat seemed like the most obvious hint so she took a poke at it.

"It's great Jinta-kun." Ururu said, hoping that Jinta would be satisfied. Then again, this was Jinta she was trying to please.

"How can you say "just great" with a face like that?" The spiky redhead said, running two hands down on each side of his face in an exasperated manner. "At least put some "oompf" into it, Ururu!"

Ururu pondered what was this "oompf" meant? Where was she supposed to put "oompf" in "Its great Jinta-kun"? After "great" or before "Its"? "But it'll be weird if I say "oompf, it's great Jinta-kun." she said worriedly out loud. Jinta felt the familiar vein popping on the left side of his forehead.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Jinta vociferated. He jumped and landed behind her, rubbing his knuckles on her head. "Emphasis, dummy, emphasis! Just because you don't care doesn't mean you can act like it!"

The never-ending ordinary moment came to halt when the two children felt an anomaly in the air, like a tint of cold air piercing in their direction across the warm atmosphere and it was getting closer by the second. It wasn't heavy and calamitous like a hollow but the spiritual pressure was enough make both Jinta and Ururu feel like whoever or whatever was coming towards them was out of place.

Neither hostile nor friendly. Rather, a really, really out of place _reiatsu_.

The presence finally entered their field of vision. A young man dressed in a white kimono with dark purple pants and knee-length black sandals walked steadily towards them. Jinta judged from his ardent scowl that he wasn't going to _unnaturally_ turn away like everyone else did.

Anyone armed with a sheathed blade coming to Urahara Kisuke's shop was here for one thing only: business.

The raven-haired man came to a stop a few feet away from Jinta and Ururu. His night varnished eyes slowly gazed from one child to another, as if he was indirectly questioning them if either of them were the people responsible for the shop. Not one to miss a beat, Jinta piped up.

"You a customer?" He asked, putting up a vulgar front. If Jinta offended the raven-haired man, he did not show it.

"Not exactly. Are you the shopkeeper?" he asked.

"Not exactly." Jinta mimicked. He didn't know why but his guts didn't like the guy at all. Just then, Jinta's strict glare caught the man's right hand retreating to his back. "Get back Ururu!" He ordered, readying himself. It was then he wished he had brought his _real_ bat at the current dilemma.

The man had no intention to fight. Instead of withdrawing his blade, it was a piece of paper he showed to the temperamental boy. "I'm hoping this is the right place." He added. Jinta was taken aback by the unexpected gesture. He snatched the paper away.

"Dude...you kinda suck at drawing." He said, grinning mischievously. Ururu, who hadn't uttered a single word the whole time, spoke up.

"Jinta-kun, even if that's true, you shouldn't say it. That's rude." She reprimanded. Jinta laughed but then stopped cold at the shadow that overwhelmed his own.

"Jinta..." the voice drawled slowly behind him. Two large hands were placed on each shoulder. "You're in deep trouble."

Jinta's became as white as a clean sheet of paper. The very tall, muscular man over-towered all of them, glasses hiding the sheer pernicious mirth behind them. "CUSTOMERS ARE KINGS! GO REPENT!" He screamed as he grabbed Jinta and threw him right across the open doors of the shop. After that little display of prowess, the large man turned to the swordsman.

"I'm Tessai, shop assistant. How can I help you?"

* * *

The store had a mystic quaintness about it. The light smell of incense, accompanied by the rustic furniture and the plain guise partitioned across the shape would give one the idea that all of those factors were put in place to purposely calm anyone who entered the business domain.

Sasuke sat on a cushion arms and legs crossed as he watched Tessai pour green tea in his glass. Seated across was the shopkeeper of the establishment, fanning his face due to the lack of proper cooling equipment. Ururu was seated next to him while Jinta was out once more, this time in charge of Ururu's previous chore. Tessai retreated in the back after pouring tea for the shopkeeper.

"Well then, what can I do for you?" the man asked Sasuke in a jovial manner. Sasuke was still wondering if he had come to the right place. After witnessing a ridiculous purple apron-wearing man casually tossing a ten year-old looking boy, being introduced to a sandal clog and round hat wearing man wasn't any reassuring. Nevertheless, Sasuke decided to burden the shopkeeper.

"I have no memories of who or what I am. All I can remember is my name. I've been told you can help." He said. The shopkeeper raised a quizzical brow.

"That's quite a peculiar case you have. Even if you tell me that, it's not like I carry memory inducing pills. Although... I am curious as to who sent you." He said, putting a stop to his fanning.

"His name is Isshin." Sasuke replied, catching the subtle surprise in the man's eyes.

"I see… I see..." Kisuke said, recommencing his cooling tactic. Tessai returned with a fan. He plugged it in and let it rest on the table. "

"My apologies. I was busy looking for the fan which I kindly reminded you to place back at the spot I even went out of my way to label but somehow, it just wasn't there." Tessai explained, pushing up his glasses. "Care to give a believable explanation as to why it wasn't there when I went to get it, hmm?

The shopkeeper gave a nervous smile to the man. "Well, um, you know, I was in a hurry to get back to watching this program I was really really into and-can we not do this in front of the customer, please Tessai-san?"

The dreadlock hair-styled man seemed to glare at the shopkeeper. Sasuke wondered if the assistant was going to throw the sandal-hat man out too but no such thing occurred. Instead, he gave a sigh and decided to sit as well. "I shall let it pass this time. Please try to put the things in their rightful place next time."

"Will do, Tessai-san, will do. Now where was I before that embarrassing moment? Ah yes, Isshin..."

The room fell into a comfortable silence. The shopkeeper stared endlessly at the ceiling, while Ururu and the assistant kept staring at the Uchiha. The latter didn't bat an eye as he focused his own gaze at the sandal-hat man, wondering if the man could truly do anything for him.

"Ah, that reminds me. We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Urahara Kisuke, the shopkeeper of this humble abode."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke." the swordsman replied. The answered prompted Kisuke to snap shut his fan.

"So you're a complete amnesiac huh? What is your earliest memory?"

Sasuke's eyes softened, his grey thoughts becoming distant at the shopkeeper's query. He could already see himself at that time and place...

* * *

_Four years ago..._

_Something prickled his nose. He rubbed a finger over it, brushing the leaf aside. His head felt groggy, like someone had wearily rubbed his head for long durations of time. As soon as his vision became accustomed to the dimpled fog that shrouded the park, his mind halted on a wall of uncertainty:_

_Who was he?_

_He knew his name. It came to him as easily as he breathed the cool air that permeated the environment. What endlessly granulated his thoughts was what was his existence doing here? What had it been doing before? Why was it that every time he tried to define his past, his was hiding behind a thick veil of utter darkness? Why was it that when he mustered every bit of his mental strength to remember, it would hurt like someone who had been running while holding their breath?_

_Nothing made sense. While all the other living beings were swimming in their happiness of knowing themselves by knowing others, he was an exile, trapped in the shameless irony of being utterly dead as a conscious being yet lacking the chain of memories that strung one's individuality._

_A doomed paradox_

_A merciless irony_

_A pathetic enigma_

_That was what Uchiha Sasuke's existence amounted to. And no matter what he would do or try, the existence which he was hoping to somehow regain seemed like false hope._

* * *

After a brief interval of quietude to which Kisuke took a long sputtering sip of his green tea, Sasuke then suddenly felt like he was not only wasting his time but his own as well. He stood up without any notice.

"Something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Tessai asked.

"Nothing. I just realized that there is really nothing anyone can do for me. Where do you begin when you have nothing to start with?" Sasuke questioned back.

"With trigger of recognition by association." Kisuke calmly replied.

"What does that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Sit for a minute, Sasuke-kun." Kisuke said suggestively. Sasuke reluctantly did so. "What I mean is, people who have amnesia of your severity are able to remember by following either one of the three possibilities: the first one being recall trigger through familiarity. That means that you will be able to remember certain things by experiencing an event that gives you the sense of either having a deja vu or instill within you a gut feeling that indicates you have done something similar in the past. Follow me so far?"

Sasuke wasn't going to deny what the sandal-hat man was saying making sense. "Yes."

"The second possibility is recall through a physical and concrete item. Its essentially similar to the first possibility, the distinct difference being that the item in question must be something that you had or have in your possession and that the moment you make contact with it; it creates a trigger within your brain, like a small click."

"I see. So what's the last one?" Sasuke asked, keenly interested into the topic at hand.

"The last one is probably the hardest. Man, I wish I had a cracker to go with this..." Kisuke said, confusing the Uchiha.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke asked, not following the _geta-boushi_man.

"Oh sorry, I was just wishing had biscuits to go with this tea." The shopkeeper answered, turning a sly grin towards his assistant. If Tessai was displeased, he most likely showed it by brusquely standing up and then retreating with hurried steps to the back of the shop. Sasuke wondered if Urahara had a knack for just about annoying everyone he met.

"As I was saying," the sandal-hat man resumed, mixing the rest of his tea with his pinkie, "the last type of recall is triggering by systematic actions that have been performed in an exact fashion as an amnesiac might have done in the past."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Doesn't that fall under familiarity, like deja vus?"

"Almost. That's why it's the hardest because you see, the range of distinctiveness is as big as a needle in the middle of a haystack. After all, it's the same as someone running yesterday to a convenience store and then today running again in the same manner. Not much of a difference, is it?" Kisuke said.

"No, it isn't." Sasuke replied. Just then, Tessai came back with an assortment of cookies, biscuits and crackers, to which he laid elegantly on the table.

"Ah, thank you very much." Kisuke said as he took one and nibbled on it. "Hmm, that's good."

"Urahara-san?" Sasuke reminded questioningly.

"Oh sorry, of course you can have one too, Sasuke-kun." The shopkeeper said earnestly. Sasuke grabbed the edge of the table with his hand and applied so much pressure to it that small cracks were beginning to form.

"Ack! My precious table!" Kisuke wailed almost comically. "All right, all right, I'll finish, honestly!"

Sasuke relaxed his gripped. He would've smiled evilly but decided to keep the facial gesture in reserve. "Go on."

Urahara cleared his throat. "Sasuke-kun, what if you were to pose an action in a time and place so congruent with a situation in your past, most people would see it as a frightening coincidence?"

Urahara let a definite time to let it all sink into his client's brain before he continued. "Of course, this is why this recall proves to be the hardest because it can be at times any of the two other triggers and yet not. Your best chance at the moment is recall through familiarity."

"If it's that, then I have done plenty of it with no results." Sasuke said, his thoughts backtracking through the last four years of his life. Kisuke adjusted his hat.

"That's only because your options were limited. However with this..." Urahara withdrew from the confines of his jacket a small green pill and placed it in front of his client. "...you'll be able to reach new heights of experience."

Sasuke eyed the pill with utter doubt. "I don't do drugs."

The shopkeeper stared at Sasuke, and then locked eyes with his assistant. The two laughed heartily. "I never pegged you as a joker but that was pretty good, Sasuke-kun."

"I wasn't joking." The dark-haired youth replied seriously, adding more mirth to the shopkeeper's laugh. Sasuke waited patiently for the laugh to cease and to hear a reasonable explanation.

"For the faux-body I will prepare for you, this here" Kisuke said, pointing to the pill, "is your new friend, mod-soul number 4371."

Sasuke frowned. It was obvious that the man was making light of his predicament. "I'm leaving."

"Tessai-san, if you please?" Kisuke said, biting onto another cookie. Tessai nodded.

"Of course." he said, pointing a finger at Sasuke while inaudibly chanting. The Uchiha suddenly felt drowsy and then cursed his naivety as his vision faded and his mind drowned into oblivion.


	7. The Shop's Newest Employee

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

Sasuke's eyelids lifted lightly at the sound of laughter. His head instinctively turned at the source of the noise: a television show depicting a man in extravagant clothing, arms crossed and hands poised as if they were grabbing his own chest. "Bwahahahaha!" the man laughed again. The picture suddenly switched to another program and the drowsy Uchiha thanked Jinta for ridiculing the previous show and changing the channel. As he took a step forward, he felt a strange sensation. He couldn't really explain it. It felt like he had extra weight upon his entire body.

Sasuke rubbed his hands and arms. His skin felt real but aged and thicker than usual. Just then, he remembered when Tessai had pointed a finger at him and he had felt really sleepy.

"What the..." he uttered out loud. Jinta looked at Sasuke, redoubling the efforts of his scowl.

"You're wearing a faux body." The redhead said as if it was the most natural response.

"Faux... body?" Sasuke drawled. Even his speech was delayed. What had that insufferable man done to him? Was it a mistake to trust Isshin's words?

"He's outside. Now quit bothering me." Jinta said. Sasuke realized he would get nothing else from the belligerent boy so he trudged away, following the path that led outside the shop. He found Urahara Kisuke sitting on a swinging bench, fanning himself.

"This weather is so fickle, hmm Sasuke-kun?" The shopkeeper said, lifting his right eye to view the Uchiha. The latter was barely standing still. "You don't look so good." Kisuke added.

"No thanks to you." Sasuke said, too fatigued lace his words with acute venom. "What did you to me?"

"It's not what _I_ did, but what _you_ did." The _geta-boushi_ said. "You woke up too early."

Sasuke would've yelled but he once again felt faint. His mind returned to the darkness it once came from.

* * *

The next time Sasuke woke up was from a gentle poke. He opened his eyes to find a blue-haired woman staring at him with worried eyes. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Sasuke was inwardly startled. He sized her up from head to toe; she wasn't wearing a soul chain. Nor was she wearing black clothing, armed with a sword.

She was human...and she talked to him. She talked to _him_.

"Hello? Are you ok? Should I call an ambulance or something..." The woman panicked, going for her cell phone. Sasuke was still in disbelief. Perhaps she was another human who could see ghost.

"There's no need, miss." A voice said from the shop. Sasuke recognized it as the annoying jovial voice of the shopkeeper. "He's just a little under the weather." Kisuke stepped out with a charming grin, a hand steadying his black and white striped hat. He then shifted his attention to Sasuke. "Right, Sasuke-kun?"

Confusion from the situation stirred his mind awake. "Y-Yeah..." The Uchiha finally muttered. Usually quick to adapt to changing situations, this was even one Sasuke couldn't completely grasp.

"Oh. Okay then." The lady said, shifting her attention to Kisuke. "Well then, is my order ready now?"

"Yes, its here." Uraraha answered. "Ururu, look for order number 1173."

While they were waiting for Ururu to pick up the requested item, Sasuke meticulously arranged all the questions that were clouding his thoughts in order to barrage the shopkeeper with them later. What was for certain now is that if that woman was really an ordinary person, then Tessai must've done something to him to be able to be visible to the human eye.

"Here it is." The little girl said, carrying a white box labeled with the ID number in large font.

"Oh, what an adorable little girl!" The lady exclaimed, making googly eyes at Ururu. "Helping your father out at such a young age. You must be very proud."

Sasuke could see the laughter Urahara was holding back. It looked he was a field day with this.

"So, will this really ward off evil spirits?" The lady asked as she grabbed the box.

"Most definitely." Urahara replied. "Just remember to plaster at least one seal in each room and have the doll sit in at the main entrance at night."

"Thank you so much. I knew moving into that really cheap priced house seemed too good to be true but I don't want to give it up. If this method fails then-

"It won't." the shopkeeper said, losing all the usual mirth behind his speech. "As long as you do as I have instructed for the next four days, everything will work out fine."

The blue-haired lady was a bit taken aback by the sudden change in attitude but she retained her smile. "Oh, okay then. I'll place my trust in you then, Urahara-san. Thanks once again."

"Take care, madam."

Sasuke was intrigued as to what dilemma the woman was facing but that would have to wait. Right now was...

"That was a human, right? An ordinary human, right?" He asked. Urahara shut his fan and concealed it into his clothing.

"Most certainly." He said as a-matter-of-factly.

"Then..." he trailed, looking one more time at the back of the fading client "...what did you do to me?"

Kisuke smirked. "You look like a bright individual so I thought you would've already understood from what I explained yesterday but I guess in your case, seeing is believing."

He then looked at Ururu. "Care to get my cane please?"

"Of course." The black-haired girl said as she retreated into the house. Sasuke crossed his arms, waiting patiently for an explanation. Once Ururu came back with the cane, Kisuke picked it up and twirled it in his hand.

"Sasuke, think fast!" The shopkeeper said as he thrust the cane right through Sasuke's head. The Uchiha was pushed back, almost losing his balance.

"What do you think you're doing?" He snapped. This time, he had enough. His hand was going for his sword when he suddenly noticed that something wasn't going quite right.

When did his sword got strapped to his back in the first place?

It all came back to him when he first woke up. He hadn't been wearing his old clothes from before. Instead he was wearing exactly what his laid out body was wearing...

"What in the..." His eyes surveyed his own self, lying on the ground wearing a white buttoned shirt with black jeans equipped with a silver-rimmed belt. Instead of sandals for footwear, white sneakers adorned his feet. What was missing was his sword.

Yet here he was, wearing his traditional set of clothing, sword included.

"This, my finely confused friend," Kisuke began, poking Sasuke's altered self, " is a faux-body."

"Faux-body?" Sasuke repeated.

Urahara began to explain the mechanics of faux-bodies and soul candies to the Uchiha. The latter listened intently, swallowing all of the intel with little or no doubt. After all, it wasn't hard to be convinced when the concrete proof was lying motionless a few steps away on the ground. Once Kisuke was finished, Sasuke took a careful look at his faux-body and then "wore" it once more.

"How do you feel?" Kisuke asked, grinning.

"All right, I guess..." The swordsman said, though what he really felt was as if a constant, non-suffocating weight was being placed upon him. He sized up Urahara once more before truly believing that none should judge books by their cover. "But how does this help?"

"It's only an idea but you could always try remembering things by experiencing things from a human point of view, hm?" Kisuke suggested. "Miserable souls tend to criticize God for being an eternal, impartial observer. Perhaps its time you stopped doing the same thing and start taking part in life, eh? Maybe you'll learn something about yourself you never knew."

The sandal-hat's suggestion did sound logical enough to spark an interest from Sasuke. For humans, time lost was truly an enemy but for Sasuke, it was its ally. He had nothing to lose. However, he had no idea where to start.

Kisuke, ever the insightful man that he was, responded to Sasuke. "Ya know... that lady who came by is not the only one who's having problems. I have many other clients who are pretty far away from the shop. I can't send Ururu or Jinta because adults don't take kids seriously and I need Tessai by my side." he said as he put a hand over his brow, making it look like he was looking for someone. "Ah, I wonder if there's anyone who would like to help me out with this. I'd really prefer someone young and energetic really. I'd be even more awesome if that person had something like, I don't know, amnesia or something else, heh heh."

Sasuke could see where this was going. As to whether or not he would regret it that was something he would decide later on. "Let's go back to the shop before someone misunderstands you."

Kisuke gave his patented wicked smile. "I guess I'll take that as a yes then."

"Hn." Was all Sasuke muttered, while mustering all of the strength in his heart to thank the irritable sandal-hat shopkeeper.


	8. The Mystery Behind the Red Eyes Part I

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

_2 months later..._

The nights were beginning to feel warmer, signaling the end of a rainy spring season. Sasuke trekked the hollow alleys of Karakura town, meticulously re-examining the receipt left by one of the Urahara shop's client. After the first sound of a cricket, the Uchiha heard his smart phone beep, notifying its owner that it just received a text message. Sasuke read on:

_Hello, Sasuke-kun [heart]_

_I know how tired you must be by now but I was really hoping you could pick up some croquettes on your way home :)_

_Oh, and, um be a dear and pick it up at that 24 hour Supermarket on Nagasuki. I really hate the ones that are sold at the convenience store :(_

_Thanks so much_

_P.S: Don't worry about the money. I know how frugal you are so I know for sure you have some leftover money to pay for OUR croquettes. Ta ta for now. ;p_

Sasuke stared at his phone for a while, happily imagining shoving Urahara onto a guillotine and cutting the rope. Then his next fantasy was snapping the shopkeeper's neck with his bare hands. Or better yet, ditch the errand and pretend to be sorry that he had forgotten to pick up the croquettes. That last option seemed like the cruelest one but there was a problem with it: Sasuke's indifferent face would lack any apologetic sense and Kisuke would use that against him, probably fake a tantrum and get Sasuke to go out again to buy what he wanted.

Sasuke sighed. He took corner and made his way to the well known open-at-all-times supermarket.

A soothing breeze caressed his visage and parted his bangs. He had been hoping to laze on the shop's roof and bask in the calming wafts of air as soon as possible. Not that he was tired or fatigued by the odd jobs but tonight seemed perfect to gaze at the stars and perhaps, hopefully, he would be able to grasp from the thick darkness of his mind, the memories he hoped to recall.

Two months had passed and although he was able to find life within a _gigai_ somewhat satisfactory, he was wrought with envy over the people he had met and their treasured memories they occasionally shared with the shop's newest employee. Each encounter brought a double-edged feeling into his heart: an empathetic wish to also share the happiness and sadness of those people and a terrible feeling of emptiness, unable to share his own life with other humans.

Either way, the harsh truth was there: regarding that aspect of life, he was an outsider, ghost or not.

The soft breeze came to an end at a four point intersection. It proved to be strange to Sasuke because he had gone through that path many times before and there was never a four point intersection. Had he taken a wrong turn? It was a possibility...a very odd possibility.

Sasuke kept going straight ahead. There was a chance he hadn't arrived at the crosswalk yet. Still...

The Uchiha lightly shook his head, as if to shake off any sense of doubt. However, it returned two-fold when he came upon a second four way intersection. Just then, Sasuke knew something wasn't quite right with his surrounding. He took a look back and found his field of vision blurred by a newly formed fog. His right and left were the same and only the road ahead of him was visible.

It was as if an invisible force was coercing him into going where it wanted him to be.

Sasuke slowly withdrew his soul-candy dispenser and grabbed it firmly, readying himself for anything that might happen. He continued the downward path, accelerating his steps. A single cold bead of sweat poured from his temple as he furrowed his brow. It wasn't long before he was met with another crossed road. The fog thickened, letting only but sparse lights from the unseen street poles flickering eerily. The nightly sounds were diminishing and the air seemed to be frozen in its track. With every step Sasuke took, the fog was blotting out any sign of inert civilization: the brick walls that fenced the residential houses, the sidewalks and even the sky were beginning to look dim. The raven-haired man found himself hard pressed to even hear the earlier chirping of crickets.

It was only until Sasuke arrived at the fourth four way intersection that he realized how much of an all presence stifling matter the fog was. No matter where his night ink-lacquered eyes darted, they were only met with the sinister ivory cloudy veil. He was unable to sense anything, human or not. Even a slice of life would have somewhat relaxed the Uchiha. If it was the work of a hollow, then it would definitely be the first time Sasuke witnessed such ingenuity.

The ground was no longer visible either. The fog was starting to feel more of a hassle than a worrying issue. He just wished that whoever was responsible for this would simply show up so he could end it already.

His wish came far quickly than anticipated. Even if the fog had stopped the flow of air, it didn't cover the friction created from one swinging through it. Sasuke rolled forward, evading the attacked that smashed the ground. The Uchiha took note that even if the ground was no longer visible, it was still there. The proof was the concrete became cracked and slightly leveled due to the impact of the hit. Sasuke could only make out the outline of his assailant. The figure towered at least over a little two and half meters tall and it was quite bulky.

Definitely not a human.

"Not bad, not bad at all, human." The Hollow said. Sasuke gritted his teeth. The voice was omni-directional. There was no way of tracing the origin. "All the better when I'll be gnashing my teeth against your vigorous bones."

The outline disappeared from sight. Sasuke pondered how smart the Hollow was. If the next attack came from the front, then the situation would be very problematic, seeing how Sasuke couldn't see anything ahead of him but the ever irritating fog. However if the next attack came from the back...

Sasuke heard the air sundering from a downward force from above. He sidestepped a foot away, letting the impact go through. This time, he was able to get a clear view at the thick, grayish arm that had attacked him earlier. Sasuke sighed. Leave it to a Hollow to come up with a genius field-controlling tactic, only to make the most predictable attack pattern ever known to Sasuke's combat knowledge.

The Uchiha would eat his own words a second later, as he was brazenly attacked by another arm, this time coming right in front of him. The amnesiac had lowered his guard and was truly not expecting such an attack. He took the blow full force, sending him crashing against what felt like a steel pole. Relentless in its attack, the hollows arm sprung from the ground and grabbed Sasuke along with the steel pole. Its laugh reverberated, clearly demonstrating that it had the advantage.

"What a shame. It seemed like you were going to give me a run for my meal but then you thought I was just another stupid hollow, didn't you?" The masked beast said, strengthening its cold vice-grip on Sasuke. "It was but your own bad luck that you had to be Bonecrusher Z's prey tonight."

Sasuke ignored Bonecrusher Z's laugh and struggled to close the gap between his hand holding the soul candy dispenser and his mouth. "Still squirming about, human?" the Hollow said, raising his other arm. "Your will to live is admirable. Tell you what: I'll crush your feeble skull so that you won't suffer while I eat you limb by limb. Think of it as a reward from me!"

Bonecrusher Z threw out his arm towards the incarcerated man. Sasuke pushed the tab and swallowed the pill just in time. As soon as he split himself from his gigai, Sasuke unsheathed his sword and moved the blade in an arc, lacerating deeply the arm. The Hollow roared in pain, releasing his grip upon the new inhabitant of the Uchiha's faux body. The mod soul caught his arm before Bonecrusher Z retreated into the fog.

"Let-Let my arm go!" He barked in rage.

"No chance!" the mod soul said with a smirk. He then turned to the Uchiha. "Sasuke-sama, use this chance to attack!"

Sasuke nodded and sprinted along the thick arm of his assailant but before he could reach the hollow's body, the latter used one of his arms to divert his attention and used another one to tear off his held arm. The outline of his form vanished once more into the fog.

"Damn you all! You tricked me! You're no human, you're a shinigami!" The voice boomed. "I'll take my time and finish you all!"

Sasuke clicked his teeth. Now he was once again subject to the Hollow's random attacks. He had to figure out a way to either dispel the fog or draw out Bonecrusher Z.

"Well, it's not a complete loss, Sasuke-sama." The mod soul said behind Sasuke as if he was reading his thoughts.

"What do you mean by that, Yuki?" The shelless soul queried.

"For starters, if he had more than three arms, he would've used another for sure but he chose to retreat instead, meaning we know he has exactly three arms he attacks with." Yuki answered. "He most likely retreated to regenerate his limb."

"That much is a given. The problem is that it gives the feeling that it's everywhere." Sasuke pointed out.

"How about I grab it the next time it attacks. With my two hundred kilogram grip force, it shouldn't be a problem." Yuki said, repeatedly making fists with his right hand.

"It's out of the question. This hollow isn't as stupid as you think he is. It felt how strong your grip is. It's not going to give you that chance again." Sasuke said as he examined his field of vision. He didn't know why but the moment he had separated himself from his faux-body, it was as if the fog was thinner. He was able to make out the faint outlines of his surroundings and he could even see the faint flickering of the bended street lamp.

"Damm this mist! I can't see anything!" Yuki cried out in frustration, earning the chuckle of the monster. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Yuki. "What?"

"Yuki... are you sure you can't see anything?" he asked his mod soul. Yuki's face was inherent with traces of puzzlement.

"I can't... can you?" He asked the Uchiha.

"Much better than before I was in the gigai." Sasuke admitted. The faux-body's host brought a finger to his chin.

"Hmm, maybe it's because of your red eyes." Yuki said. Now Sasuke was the one with utter puzzlement.

"What do you mean 'red eyes'?" Sasuke said in sheer surprise.

"Uh, you always have them when you're fighting. I thought you already knew..." Yuki said. Sasuke poised his blade like a mirror. The gleam of his sword reflected two pools of a deep bloody color, three black commas in each eye.

"When did I...what is this?" Sasuke voiced his questions out loud. This was his first time seeing his eyes in a design as such. They looked menacing with his burrowed expression.

"Sasuke-sama, watch out!" Yuki shrilled. There was no time to react to the incoming punch. The Uchiha was knocked back even further than before, his body soaring through the air.

"What an incredible fool!" Bonecrusher Z hollered. "How many times are you going to drop your guard?" The Hollow bellowed his laughter.

"The only fool here is you." Sasuke's voice said. The Hollow's eyes flew in all directions until they pinpointed a silhouette standing on another street pole, away from the fogged area.

"What the?! How did you get there?" The hollow asked.

"I used the momentum of your attack to propel myself. That's all there is to it." Sasuke explained calmly. Bonecrusher Z groaned in frustration, only to follow it up with maniacal cackle.

"Heh, how cruel of you. So you decided to ditch you mod soul here in the fog. Too bad for you because I'll kill him first and then-

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke interrupted. A normal clothed Uchiha grabbed his soul candy dispenser and swallowed the pill once more. He split his ectoplasmic self, with Yuki landing on the ground, both unaffected by the Hollow's earlier attack

"What the?! How is that-I know I only punched you so-

"Man, you're a slow one, aren't ya?" Yuki said with a provocative smirk.

* * *

_30 seconds ago_

_The fist came in quick. Sasuke grabbed Yuki and entered his gigai, ejecting the pill and securing it into the dispenser. He then placed his feet onto the giant hand and once at the pinnacle of the strike, lifted himself off and landed onto the street pole..._

* * *

"...And now we can see all of you in your ugly glory." Yuki finished. Sasuke was able to see that the towering figure was only the bottom part of the Hollow, the tail resembling a wide, thick purple mat with several wide circled tubes sticking out. The emanated the white fog in which Sasuke had been trapped in. The rest of Bonecrusher Z's body was an equally long and wide body with two arms, the third one coming out of its stomach. The body encircled the area Sasuke and Yuki were in like a dome.

_Good thing I didn't try to fly my way out of this earlier or I would've fell right into its hand_, Sasuke thought. "It's about time to end this."

"Even if you escaped, you have no chance of winning!" The Hollow raged. Sasuke raised a bemused eyebrow.

"The larger the scale of planned attack is, the more vulnerable one becomes when it crumbles." Sasuke declared as he rushed towards the hollow. The latter raised its tail and aimed it Sasuke. Blue smoke ventilated at high velocity towards the Uchiha.

"Get a taste of my poisonous smoke!" Bonecrusher Z roared. The poison fog masked the night sky for a while and when it dissipated, Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you shinigami?" The Hollow raged on. "Where the hell are you?"

"I take it that the only reason why you didn't use that poisonous smoke before was either it can't stay as long as that fog dome did earlier or you can't produce much of it."

Bonecrusher felt a chill run down its entire body as he realized how close Sasuke's solemn voice was. He frantically searched for the Uchiha but to no avail. All he heard was the clean sweep of the air being severed and the sound of metal being sheathed.

"By the way, I am no shinigami." The voice said. The fog having completely dissipated, the Hollow was finally able to find the Uchiha standing right in front of him, the coldest crimson stare deadlocked into his. Suddenly, Sasuke's image was severed asymmetrically and both halves falling apart.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Remember it on your journey to hell." The swordsman said as he whipped around, quietly walking away from the disintegrating Hollow.

* * *

**Hilariously enough, for me anyways, this chapter's fight was supposed to be short and then a training session with Kisuke was supposed to happen but look and behold, I went over my 2k policy. Look forward to next chapter.**

**P.S: thanks for your reviews. I appreciate them.**


	9. The Mystery Behind the Red Eyes Part II

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

* * *

**BTW...extra cookies for anyone who guessed what was the deal with a fourth four way intersection.**

**P.S: I really love writing Kisuke. He's such a flexible character.**

* * *

Sasuke arrived at the lighted Urahara shop. He was welcomed first by Ururu, who had become accustomed to Sasuke's gentle hair rub and then by Jinta's usual rowdy but well-meant greeting. He dropped the bag of croquettes on the kotatsu and sat crossed legged across a manga novel reading Kisuke.

"Got your stupid croquettes." Sasuke said as he crossed his arms as well. Urahara snapped his book shut.

"What is it with you?" He cried out. "You don't even properly greet me and then you just toss the croquettes on my new kotatsu. You're going to eat them too, you know." The shopkeeper complained. He then took a long look at Sasuke from head to toe before adding "You look like you got jumped...you're not into gangs, are you?"

Sasuke's temple twitched with an angry vein. "I was attacked by a Hollow."

Kisuke's eyes showed doubt. "Sounds like a convenient excuse to me. I saw your motorcycle magazines and that new black leather jacket you bought some time ago. Eyeing that Road King, huh? How devilish of you."

"You snooped through my stuff?" Sasuke asked, a calm fury radiating from every pore of his body.

"As a doting father, it's important to keep tabs on my children." Kisuke said with a wry grin. "You're healthy teenager, you know? I need to steer you in the right direction."

Sasuke couldn't help but leave his mouth slightly agape. Had he heard the eccentric shopkeeper right? "Urahara..." The Uchiha called out slowly in a grave voice.

"Y-Yes?" Kisuke asked nervously as he felt the Uchiha's calm fury smothering the room.

"...I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and pretend that you drank too much sake. However..." Sasuke raised his head slightly upwards and dilated his eyes flagitiously. "...if you continue to babble like a depraved moron, I'm going to do the police a favor and draw a chalk outline very, very, _very_close to your physical resemblance. _Tonight_."

Urahara Kisuke cried tears of fright. Tessai, Ururu and Jinta came in the room at the very same moment the cold chill had settled in. "What's going on?" Tessai asked. Kisuke grabbed the hem of the large man's apron.

"Tessai-san, Sasuke's being completely evil!" He bawled to the dreadlocked-haired man. "He's going to kill me! Help!"

"Only if he continues to sputter nonsensical gibberish." Sasuke chipped in.

"Uwa...Sasuke made _buchou_cry." Jinta commented.

"But the manager makes Sasuke-san angry almost every time he talks to him." Ururu pointed out, to which the assistant trio nodded at the same time in agreement.

"I was just trying to help" Kisuke defended himself. The skeptical looks that Jinta, Ururu and Tessai threw at Kisuke indicated that the shopkeeper had obviously failed at getting their support. Kisuke sighed in defeat.

"If you want to help me, then help me figure out what's the deal with my eyes." Sasuke advised.

Kisuke adjusted his black and white striped hat. "What happened with your eyes?" he asked. Sasuke then told the events that happened to him a while ago and what he had discovered. Kisuke closed his eyes in pensive reflection as Sasuke waited in concealed impatience.

"I see..." Kisuke began. "...so you were really attacked by a Hollow. And to think I was worried that you'd join a gang, hm..."

Sasuke eyed the kotatsu. "That's a nice table, Urahara. It looks...priceless."

Kisuke almost turned a sheet of white. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Lay off my kotatsu, please. I'll stop. I promise!"

Sasuke was deadpanned as ever, prompting the nervous shopkeeper to come up with an idea. "Er, by what you told me, it's possible that you might have had those eyes even before you met us. I've never seen your eyes turn red when you're not fighting and I haven't had the chance to witness them in combat either. I propose a sparring session."

Now this idea sounded like progress to the teenaged looking man. "I agree but with whom will I be sparring against?"

"Yours truly." Kisuke said proudly.

Sasuke reconstituted his deadpanned expression. "No, really, who will I be sparring with?"

Kisuke pretended to be taken aback. "How rude! Just because I look like a weak, defenseless, middle-aged man doesn't mean I can't throw a punch or two."

Sasuke blinked in puzzlement. "But... I really thought that's what you were. I guess I'll have to see it to believe it."

If Sasuke's word were physically concrete, then they would have appeared like arrows plunging through Urahara's heart, as the latter demonstrated by clutching his chest. "My, oh, my Sasuke, you really know how to hurt a person. Maybe, I'll just sit back and relax and let you figure it out by yourself."

There was a moment of quietude that rested on Sasuke's next retort. He rubbed his chin for a while and then came up with something. "_Dame-ningen._"

Kisuke stood up immediately. "That's it! That's really cruel, calling me a good-for-nothing. Tessai-san, say something!" he barked at Sasuke, pointing an accusatory finger at him. Tessai let a small exasperated groan escape.

"I don't know Kisuke-san," the well-built man said, "lately you've been lazing around. In fact, you've been doing more of that ever since you hired Sasuke-kun."

This came as a revelation to Urahara Kisuke. "Even you, Tessai-san?" he asked his assistant, to which he responded with a nod. Kisuke turned to Sasuke. "You… you… YOU POISONED THIS FAMILY!"

Sasuke completely disregarded the last statement. "Yeah, whatever. Anyways, are you gonna help me on this or not?"

Kisuke gently masticated his jaws for a few seconds before he gave his answer. "Of course... even if you just so happen to be an ungrateful, mean, cruel and borderline violent man. I'm going to punish you for that tomorrow. Be there at eight!"

Sasuke got up and let out a yawn. "Ok, thanks. See you tomorrow. I'm going to sleep."

As soon as the tired swordsman was out of earshot, Jinta spoke. "Wow... Sasuke won."

"He's been winning more arguments with the manager lately." Ururu said.

"Urahara-san, snooping through a young man's belonging is not gentleman-like." Tessai chided. Kisuke let the three see his back and he turned on the television.

"Everyone... is against me..." the sandal-hat man mumbled as he began to sulk.

* * *

Sasuke woke from his peaceful slumber and allowed himself to bask himself in the simplicity of his room. It was as standard as it could get: a sliding door closet, ornamented ceiling light-bulb, a desk and the most important piece, a bed where he was able to get comfortable snooze. The room would've been free of use, as Urahara once suggested but Sasuke could not compromise his diligent nature by becoming a freeloader. Instead, he requested that a room fee should be imposed, to which he would pay on a monthly basis with the commissioned salary he gained from completing jobs for Urahara. Sasuke was very parsimonious with his money, keen on spending only on necessities.

The Road King happened to be one of those necessities. Flying in his soul form to his destination was fine, but Yuki didn't have any flying abilities so the Uchiha was forced to remain in his gigai and take normal transportation, something that he began to despise ever since he was stuffed in a train during morning rush, smelling body stenches he had never smelled before. He could've sworn that a couple of humans had not taken showers for days and those incidents happened several times.

And so came the need for a vehicle, and the motorcycle seemed the most appealing and compact way to travel.

Sasuke got himself finished his bathroom routine within fifteen minutes and then hoped that the shopkeeper was awake. He met Tessai first, who was always awake as early as six-thirty in the morning.

"Morning Tessai-san." Sasuke formally greeted.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun. How are you feeling?" Tessai returned the greeting.

"Good as usual. I was hoping that Urahara was awake." The Uchiha said.

"Ah, yes, your sparring match." Tessai recalled. "Follow me."

Sasuke followed the towering man into the back of the shop. There, Tessai lifted up a trap door, revealing a staircase.

"Urahara-san is in there." Tessai said. Sasuke was taken by surprise of the trap door he had never seen before. He knew there was an entrance leading to the basement of the shop but he didn't know there was a second entrance. The thought then led him to be very skeptic of the place they would fight. Never mind that Urahara was a fighter himself.

Sasuke descended until he reached a small room and then took notice of a ladder. Since there was no presence of the shopkeeper, Sasuke began to climb down the ladder.

There seemed to be no end to the descent. Sasuke was wondering if this was another trick of Urahara but he persisted. After what seemed to be like an hour, the Uchiha finally took his last step on the ladder and turned around to see an unimaginable setting: it was a giant landscape that stretched as far as Sasuke could see. The ceiling, if it could really be called such a thing, resembled more like a semi-clear sky and only the wall that supported the ladder reminded Sasuke that this was an underground space.

"Whooaaaaaaaah! What the hell is this? Who would've thought there was suuuuuuuuuuch a huge spaaaaaaaaace under the stoooooooooore?"

Sasuke's amazement was instantly ruined by Urahara voicing his thoughts for him in such an exaggerated, stupid and loud manner. Still, he was curious about this space.

"You never told me there was such a space in your shop." Sasuke said.

"That's because you never asked." Kisuke replied. Sasuke saw that the conversation would go nowhere so he went straight to the point.

"So, are we going to start this sparring session?" the obsidian-eyed swordsman said as he popped the pill into his mouth, ejecting his soul form out of his faux-body.

"Actually," Kisuke began, "I have an excellent volunteer for this matter."

Ururu's small figure revealed itself from Kisuke's back. She carried in her skirt some suspicious looking equipment.

"I'll be in your care, Sasuke-san." Ururu said, bowing her head. The addressed glared at the manager.

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes, you'll be sparring with Ururu." Kisuke said jovially.

"Is that so?" Sasuke rhetorically asked. "Well, I'm not doing it."

"I know what you're thinking Sasuke-kun," Urahara said, "but there's no worry. She can manage just fine. In fact, she-

"That's not the issue!" Sasuke snapped. "Even if she can fight, I will not raise my fist or sword against a child."

Just then, the Uchiha heard two loud crashes. He whipped his head to the source, finding dust settling under Jinta and Tessai. It appeared that they skipped the ladder and jumped instead. "So, has it started yet?" Jinta asked.

"Not yet, Jinta. Sasuke's being stubborn." Urahara whined. Sasuke brushed past Kisuke and stopped in front of the equally dark-haired girl.

"Is that our fighting equipment?" he asked. Ururu nodded. "I see. Let me see it for a second."

"Oh, so you reconsidered then?" Kisuke asked, obviously thrilled. However, his enthusiasm was immediately cut off when Sasuke threw the equipment into the air and in split-second strokes of his sword, tore them into shreds.

"Aaaaaah, noooooooooo!" Kisuke cried out. "My payback plan is ruined!"

Sasuke turned his head slowly to the anguished shopkeeper, who was on all fours. "Excuse me?"

"You were supposed to wear it and then say stupid stuff like "take this, the power of righteousness" and "righteous armor, the justice headband, equip!" and some other _sentai_-themed stuff." Jinta explained.

Sasuke sighed, while Yuki clasped both hands on his lips to refrain his laughter. "Look, Urahara, if you don't want to do this, just tell me already. I have three appointments today. I can't waste time here."

With that said, Kisuke stood up quietly. He adjusted his hat in his usual fashion to shadow his eyes. "My apologies, Sasuke-kun, but I will carry out your punishment regardless." The manager held his cane up and pulled the hilt from the stick, revealing a stainless steeled-edge.

"A cane sword. So you think you can finally fight because you watched Zatoichi yesterday night?" Sasuke said, referring to last night's little trip to the kitchen for a glass of water when he spotted Kisuke watching the aforementioned movie.

By the time Sasuke had finished the last word of his mocking sentence, the spot at which Kisuke once stood kicked up granulated dust. The _geta-boushi_ took a strike at Sasuke, to which the young man blocked with his own blade.

"Cheeky children should have respect for their elders." Kisuke said, applying more weight.

"And irresponsible adults should refrain from preaching to kids." Sasuke verbally countered, pushing sideways Kisuke's sword. He then backed away to give himself some prepared momentum and then lunged towards the shopkeeper.

The two exchanged furious strikes, metal grinding against another, sparks sauntering at every blow. Kisuke was impressed with Sasuke's one handed sword play, using his free hand to occasionally add defensive weight against the flat part of his sword to block. The two parted not too far from each other, recalibrating their stances and their thoughts for plans of attack.

"You know, when you told me you could fight, I didn't think you were this good." Kisuke complimented.

"Same here. If you just showed some decency in your personality, I wouldn't be this surprised." Sasuke said, returning the gesture. The two did not speak to each other for a moment, carefully analyzing their last little bout.

Urahara did not show it but he was very intrigued at Sasuke's style of combat. There was no _real_stance from Sasuke. It was certainly done on purpose to deceive the enemy into thinking Sasuke's guard was lax. In fact, Urahara could even go as far to say that Sasuke _wanted_to provoke them into attacking him. What was really intriguing the shopkeeper was that Sasuke was fighting him as if he had always fought other people before when Kisuke knew for certain that Sasuke had only faced off with Hollows.

Of course, that was only after Kisuke took in the raven-haired youth. "Sasuke, have you fought people before you joined my shop?"

"Never." Sasuke answered.

"What about other souls?" Kisuke asked.

"I don't raise my sword against defenseless souls either." Sasuke said. "Why the questions?"

"Because you fight like you've done this on a regular basis." Kisuke answered. "Even if you remember how to fight with your body, your skills don't show any sign of aging from lack of combat against other people. Remember, you've only fought against Hollows. That takes a different approach when you fight them."

Kisuke was right on the money as always. It did feel strange to be able to fight so well but his body was just moving on his own.

"By the way, your red eyes haven't shown up yet." Kisuke added. Sasuke exported his attention to his mod soul.

"I wasn't lying." Yuki said as if he had already guessed what Sasuke was thinking. "You saw it for yourself."

"It's just a guess but maybe it has to do with the sort of fight your fighting." Urahara said. "At this moment, you're engaged in a sparring practice but with Hollows, you're in a fight-or-flight situation. Do you understand?"

"So you mean I must be put in a dangerous situation for my red eyes to work?"

At that moment, Kisuke showed a different smile that made Sasuke very uncomfortable. "I'm...a bit of scientist of sorts so I've been able to study on certain physiological aspects of the human and spiritual body. Even those impaired with amnesia." Kisuke said, pointing his sword at Sasuke. "For those who have amnesia, the body is armed with certain psychological responses to protect themselves: fear, anger and even distrust."

"Where-where are you going with this?" Sasuke asked. Suddenly the air felt like a tremendous weight, a pressure Sasuke had never felt before. It was unreal and much more different than a Hollow. It wasn't malicious or ominous like one either. It just felt like raw, indiscriminate power.

"Why do you distrust Soul Reapers?" Kisuke said, his jovial tone completely absent. Sasuke felt like he was now facing someone completely different.

"Urahara, what's wrong with you? Why do you-

"I asked you a question. Why do you distrust Soul Reapers?" The sandal-hat man asked, releasing even more spiritual pressure. Jinta watched, his stare unflinching as well as Ururu. Tessai was frowning and pondering if Kisuke would actually go through with it. He stopped Yuki when the mod soul tried to take a step.

"Don't. This is between the two of them." Tessai said.

"You've never actually spoke with one before. You don't have any memories of them and last I heard from you, you never even fought one of them." Kisuke stated. "Yet here you are, your chain of fate gone, a sword at your waist-side, slaying Hollows on a regular basis and your combat skills worthy of being called a Soul Reaper. Care to explain?"

Sasuke didn't know how to answer that. All he came here to do was to discover the mystery behind his red eyes, not debating whether or not he was a Soul Reaper. "Where are you going with this, Urahara?"

"I'll tell you what it is: it's your distrust. To distrust something or someone, you must have had a connection with that thing or person before; ergo you have a connection with Soul Reapers. In fact, it's almost better to say that you _are_a Soul Reaper." Kisuke revealed. Sasuke was wrought with mind-numbing surprise. Him, a Soul Reaper? Impossible. His entire being distrusted-

_Distrust. Connection. Memories._

"Sasuke, if your red eyes are a form of subconscious weapon for your lack memories, then so is your distrust and the only way to link expose the shadow that blinds those two is two expose them to exactly what they are connected to. First, for your distrust..." Kisuke lowered his blade. "..._Cry, Benihime_."

The sword changed shape, becoming slightly wider and becoming one edged as well. Sasuke was now completely entranced into this new side of Urahara Kisuke he had never witnessed before.

"As for your red eyes...or rather, the _Sharingan_..."

Kisuke disappeared from sight. Sasuke looked everywhere but he was really gone. Suddenly, he felt a cold, metal sheen close to his neck.

"I told you before Sasuke. This is punishment." Kisuke whispered behind, a deceiving soft, unsettling voice. "If you don't get a grasp on your Sharingan right now..."

Blood dropped on the ground like inconsistent rain.

_You will die._


	10. The Mystery Behind the Red Eyes Part III

**Transcending Bonds**

_**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty_

**Just a quick translation of certain terminology I'll be using frequently.**

**Reiryoku: spiritual energy, power**

**Reiatsu: spiritual pressure**

**Reishi: spiritual particles.**

**Oh and thanks to all who reviewed my previos chapter. I'm not too confident in action scenes, as they are my weak point in writing. So lemme know if this chapter can use some work. I'll appreciate it.**

**P.S: Next chappie showcases a certain special person. I'm not saying who but I will say its about darn time we meet someone familiar...on the Bleach side of the universe...**

* * *

Kisuke's sword dripped with the lifeblood of Uchiha Sasuke. His blade emitted an aura of the same color of the aforementioned matter. Urahara whipped the sword as an attempt to dry it and then he lifted the blade at shoulder clutching swordsman.

"I'm impressed, seriously, I am." Urahara said, sounding ambiguously sarcastic. "You've managed to deflect Benihime away and launch a successful counter at the same time. If you had been a second slower... well, let's not just imagine that. I do happen to have a weak constitution regarding those sorts of things. No need to soil the ground with my breakfast, is there?"

Sasuke breathed heavily, the lesion on his shoulder blade brimming with blood a part of the reason. The other reason was his right ankle was throbbing in pain. The counter was a mistake. He had meant to use it as a way to distance himself from Kisuke but the latter turned his sword around and used the flat part to offset his foot away. The sprain had been the result of retaliation, most likely a bonus on Urahara's part. The last reason for his labored breathing was the perpetual heavy spiritual pressure the shopkeeper was exhibiting. It was unfathomable to Sasuke how someone can exude so much raw strength. No hollow he had fought in the past compared to this spiritual flood.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, trying to buy time to rest his body.

"Me? I'm just a mere honest, handsome, perverted business man. What else?" Kisuke answered, grinning in his usual manner. The only difference is that the rest of his physical aspect begged to differ.

"What do you really know about me?" Sasuke queried, almost yelling.

"Just as much as you do." Kisuke said.

"And what is that?" Sasuke spat.

"That you're going to die."

Kisuke disappeared from sight. Sasuke immediately felt his assailant's energy from above but his body didn't move as fast as he wanted to. He evaded the attack but had no choice but to give up flesh to the crimson girdled sword.

"Too slow."

Kisuke's kick dug itself within Sasuke's abdomen, the sheer tremor actuating a forceful soar through one mountain rock and then crash stopping at another.

"Hey!" Yuki yelled, raising an angry fist. "You can't do this! You're going kill him."

"Don't worry. He won't do such a thing." Tessai reassured.

"Are you sure? Because that doesn't look like some sparring contest. This looks more like he's actually trying to kill him." Yuki said. Tessai closed his eyes in reflection and then opened them ten seconds later.

"I'm actually not sure about that. Maybe he is trying to kill him." Tessai admitted, shocking the mod soul.

"What? There's no way I'm going to let that happen!" Yuki yelled, taking a step forward. He was halted with Tessai's strong arm. "Let me go!"

"Sorry, but you can't interfere." Tessai dictated.

"Make me!" Yuki raged, grabbing Tessai's arm with his super strong vice grip.

"Not bad." Tessai said, completely unaffected. "My turn." He let go of Yuki's arm, only to knock him out cold with a hand chop. He gently laid the mod soul on the ground and let out a sigh. He hadn't seen many fiercely loyal mod souls but there were the rare occasional ones that popped up every now and then. Of course, that only happened if their user cared for them just as much.

Sasuke was one of them and, for that reason, the assistant shopkeeper admired the Uchiha silently.

Sasuke wrenched himself from the ruins. He staggered, and then felt his insides regurgitating his empty stomach. He fell on all fours after failing to get a grip on his balance. He could hear through the throbbing pain that traveled from his stomach to his mind, the calm, relaxed yet menacing steps of his executor. Sasuke managed to stand up, shaking from the lack of rigidity he used to have and held up a defiant, pointed blade at Urahara. The latter raised a humorous eyebrow.

"Wow, looks like I've really done it this time. I wasn't expecting you to go flying like that, seriously." Kisuke said, eyes rolling. "I really thought you were more resilient than that but I guess my expectations of you were a tad too much."

"Urahara...are you really...trying to kill me?" Sasuke asked between pants. It shocked Sasuke at how just one kick could do so much internal damage. Pure luck had saved him from getting broken ribs.

"That depends. Are you going to let me kill you?" Kisuke retorted with another question. It didn't make sense to the Uchiha. Forget why Kisuke had been hiding his speculative real strength at the beginning of their bout but why was he doing this to him?

"Urahara... don't tell me the reason you're doing this is because of yesterday." Sasuke said anxiously. "Don't tell me you're doing all of this just for something so small."

Kisuke smirked. "Self-preservation is key one's survival. All manners of life forms adhere to this rule because if they didn't, they'd be subject to others hegemony. Animals are the best example of that because their intellect is limited to their instincts. People are the worst example because they use the excuse of self-preservation to commit atrocities upon one another. In any case, I'm digressing here..."

Kisuke took another step further, twirling his sword into his hand. "Sasuke, I'll do you favor and tell you this beforehand: if you seek a reason to fight your enemies, you're going to die prematurely. The enemy who seeks to take your life has already his reasons for doing so. To know the reasons of your fights, you must uphold the law of self-preservation and then the questions come later, savvy?"

Sasuke's hand was shaking. The man was casting distraught upon him with every word and action. Nothing was making sense anymore. Had he really been deceived by the harmless nature of the man or-

_To know the reasons of your fights, you must uphold the law of self-preservation and then the questions come later, savvy?_

Uchiha Sasuke commanded every fiber of his being to exert as much power as he could. Kisuke's reiatsu didn't feel as threatening as before. The latter was staring in marvel at his target. Sasuke's Sharingan wheeled in clockwise and the rest of his eyes were filled with a black color. _This is the moment... _the shopkeeper thought.

"URAHARA! IF YOU'RE MAKING A SERIOUS PASS AT MY LIFE, THEN I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO END YOU!" Sasuke screamed.

"I know..." Kisuke whispered. Before Sasuke could make any move, the sandal-hat man stepped in a flash right in front of Sasuke. "Don't hold it against me, okay?"

Kisuke perforated the Uchiha's upper chest, the blunt blade running straight through the heart. Sasuke's eye looked the down at the weapon that ran through him and then locked eyes with his killer. There was no provocative grin or murderous stare, only an apologetic look of pity.

"Why?" Was all Sasuke muttered before his world went black.

* * *

_The sky was an opaque white. The ground was like hazy white uniformed clouds. There was nothing in the horizon. No sound, no wind, no presence. Just an overwhelming emptiness._

_And Sasuke was standing in the middle of it all._

_"Where am I?"_

_A large, white beast rested on a mountain made of clouds. Sasuke could not clearly see its face. He could see the mouth of the beast opening. It asked a question._

_"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Who are you?"_

_The beast jumped from its resting place, the cloud mountain vanishing instantly after it landed and went up to Sasuke._

_"You don't know who you are? You don't remember?"_

_It rested at Sasuke's feet. The Uchiha crouched down and rubbed the beast's pellet. He liked the soft sensation running through his fingers. It was calming._

_"Strange. I know your name. It's..."_

_Sasuke felt something on his hand. It was a tear that had fallen from the beast's eye._

_"You can't hear your name? Why? Listen closely, it's..."_

_The beast rubbed its head against Sasuke's face and then against his chest._

_"You have something for me? What is it?"_

_The white beast opened its mouth and on its tongue was a sphere glowing with an eerie red light. Sasuke clutched it with his palm. It was warm and soothing. The beast began to back away._

_"Wait! Where are you going?"_

_The light of the sphere emitted strongly its scarlet gleam, blotting everything from Sasuke's vision._

* * *

Spiritual pressure detonated across the training field, gales of wind furiously billowing in every direction, all coming from Sasuke's body. In his palm he held a sphere scarlet in color. It shattered like glass, the pieces disintegrating into glittering ashes. Kisuke was transfixed by the surge of power radiating from the labeled soul reaper. His mesmerism shifted to his opponent's new development, more specifically, the _tomoes_ joining together to create a pinwheel before his eyes changed once more, shifting a design of three red, intersecting ellipses with the red irises shifting into black.

A red aura enveloped the Uchiha before it expanded, beginning to manifest into a humanoid being. It was overbearing, and took the shape of a skeleton, its rib cage surrounding Sasuke. It was almost demon-like in appearance, possessing horns, a long appendage on its chin and an almost-malevolent grin. Its two eye sockets glowed bright yellow and stared down at Kisuke, sending a cold shiver down the shop keeper's spine and everyone present.

Unaware of everything that was transpiring, Sasuke was in a rapture of his own, observing something deep within the dark corners of his mind.

_"Let's introduce ourselves, shall we? Tell me your likes, dislikes and your hopes and dreams."_

_Like a film rolling, Sasuke could only watch a silver haired man with a headband covering one eye and a mask covering the rest of his face talking to three children. The first was blond haired boy clothed in bright orange clothing who spoke only of ramen and his dream, showing earnest hope in his blue eyes. The next person was a pink haired girl garbed in red suit and dark lycra shorts who seemed more to be infatuated than serious about becoming a ninja. The third member was a boy who looked a lot like him. His revelation was a chilling ambition. What they all had in common was that he could not hear their names; they sounded liked warped jargon._

_Despite not remembering experiencing those events, he felt the connection between those four and himself and he knew for sure that they were his memories._

Sasuke's hands were brought together and then moved rapidly on their own, each motion creating a hand-seal. The Uchiha arched back as he took a deep breath.

_Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!_

Sasuke's soul breathed a massive blazing sphere, headed straight for Kisuke. The latter was in so much a stupor by Sasuke's Awakening that he was caught off-guard by the Uchiha's blazing attack. There was no time to evade the technique. The ball of flames collided, its explosive burst searing with hot temperatures the very fabric of air and ravaging the ground at several yards. Tessai, Jinta and Ururu were shocked by the recovery, but more-so at the intense power behind the attack. The ripples of the destruction waned and the billowed dust cleared.

"As I thought, only you could frighten me this much." Kisuke's voice was heard saying in its usual annoying jovial tone. "I expected nothing less of you, Uchiha Sasuke-kun."

Kisuke looked like a mirage due to the heated crater on which the shopkeeper stood. Plasma vein scorched the ground below him and red-hot air constantly fanned his clothes. "Good thing I used _that _before it hit or I would've been turned to ashes, huh? Kisuke said, referring to the crimson audacious shield that his sword created. "Hey Sasuke-kun, you all right?"

Sasuke was immobile, his entire body rigid as stone. Only when the ellipse design within the Uchiha's eyes returned to the three black tomoes and the irises returned from black to red did Sasuke blink. The red demonic/skeletal being's glowing orbs went out and the being dispersed and the Uchiha regained self-awareness. He first put a hand on where he was originally stabbed and found that there was no injury. He picked up his sword from the ground and looked at once more at his eyes. They showed the "_Sharingan"_as Kisuke put it.

"We're almost done with the lesson," Kisuke said, working his neck muscles left and right, "Let's finish this up, okay? I'd like to catch my morning soaps."

Once again, Kisuke absconded in the same manner as before. He reappeared in another second, his leg knocking the Uchiha back several steps away. However, there was no impact crash or whatsoever, only the sound of skids.

"I can see you." Sasuke said, dirt falling off his free hand. For once, Kisuke showed honest surprise.

"Impressive! Not only you succeeded at blocking my attack but you softened the impact with dirt." Kisuke complimented. "The only question is when did you have time to do that?"

"I... I don't know but I can see your _reiryoku_. I saw it travel to your feet. The rest is too difficult to explain." Sasuke said.

"Don't worry about it. As a scientist, it's my duty to experiment on the unknown and part of that process is to observe, test and report." Kisuke said, lunging forward and attacking with side-way slash. Sasuke had is sword up before Kisuke came down, hence deflecting the blow. The one-handed swordsman then straight jabbed his opponent, the latter simply tilting his head to avoid the blow. Kisuke had already anticipated the one-two motion so he put up his sword to counter the incoming right attack.

The attack was a feint. Instead of the swing of the sword rising upwards, its stopped midway to carry on disembowelment measures. Kisuke backed away and immediately sensed his enemy's moving speed. _Shunpo?! Sasuke was certainly fast but this is his first time using it in battle. How did... _Kisuke smirked, mentally scolding himself for his own naivety. _I see... then this should end the lesson._

"_Hadō # 31:_ _Shot of Red Fire_!"

A huge red ball of heat almost roughly half the size of Sasuke great blazing breath technique was fired from Kisuke's hand. It connected, the aftermath leveling the ground behind Kisuke's target. What would put Kisuke into true amazement was Sasuke standing, sword emitting the same red mirage-like shield technique Kisuke had performed earlier.

"My blood-mist shield..." Kisuke trailed, completely taken off guard "...I guess this means all lessons are cleared."

Sasuke was as unflinching as ever. "What do you mean all lessons are cleared?"

Kisuke's aura diminished until there was nothing. His sword returned to its original bland state. "It means that an old man like me can't take much more of this. I want my bubble bath and besides, you sir have jobs to complete." Kisuke said as he sheathed his cane sword and began to head towards the ladder.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know in the shop. It's a promise."

With that said Sasuke dropped his guard as well and let out a sigh of relief. It would seem the answers he was looking for would finally be given to him today.

* * *

**Wolf's Honour: The editing for this chapter was something else. That much is for sure. **

**Oh, hi everyone! Yeah this is my Author note for this chapter, compared to the original authors which are at the top. Just wanted to say thank you for the support you've been giving me and also pointing out certain words or sentences that I missed while editing. Seriously it helped a lot. **

**Also, I wanted to say thanks for entrusting this story to me. Truly I was really expecting a lot of negative reviews to come in and say that I shouldn't touch this story or that I was plagiarizing it. But to my surprise you all have been supporting me and hell even telling me to keep going. **

**For that, you all have my heartfelt gratitude. **

**No then, unlike the original, I decided to change that bit and introduce Sasuke's Awakening as Susano'o. The purpose being is that in the original it was shone that Sasuke's Sharingan changed to Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan for a short period of time during his initial awakening. However, now that more information about the Sharingan has been introduced, I realized it would be better to introduce Sasuke's own Mangekyo rather than use Itachi's. **

**That, and I wanted to take a shot at describing Susano'o for myself. Tell me how I did and if I need to give a better description because that was my time trying to actually describe the design of Sasuke's Mangekyo and his Susano'o. **

**For anyone who is a reader of Digital Redemption: Sasuke's Awakening, also called DR by some of my readers, the next chapter is coming out Wednesday tomorrow so be on the lookout. Til then, lata bros.**


	11. The Turbulent Meeting with Kuchiki Rukia

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles**

* * *

Tessai applied the last bandage on the young soul's back. After his bout with Urahara Kisuke, Sasuke collapsed due to spiritual exhaustion. He woke up several hours later and was now seated across the sandal-hat man, who had completed the Uchiha's work schedule while the latter was resting.

Oddly, Sasuke was very calm and only slightly anxious as to what he was about to hear. He felt like even if the manager dismissed today's important topic, the alleged soul reaper would simply go back to his room and think about his new piece of memory.

"How do you feel?" Kisuke asked.

"A bit groggy. Like someone spiked my drink with sleeping pills." Sasuke said monotonously.

"I see. We can do this another day if you want to." Kisuke advised.

"No thanks. Let's just get on with it." Sasuke said.

"Okay. Then," Kisuke began with a clearing of the throat, "where do you want me to start?"

"I want to know about my red- I mean, the Sharingan first. What is it exactly and how do you know about it?" Sasuke queried.

"There are three fundamental combat concepts. The first one is "power", as in referring to your physical and spiritual strength behind your attacks. The second is "technique" which refers to concrete and abstract skills and abilities and the last one is "speed" which refers to motion, attack and reaction speed. The Sharingan is an ocular power which increases your reaction speed and as the battle goes on, the reaction speed continues to rise. Almost like foresight."

Kisuke waved his hand back and forth. "The eye cannot help but pin its sight on moving objects. As the moving object becomes faster, it becomes harder for the eye to discern it as a concrete object and it steadily resembles a blur. The visual system in the brain is too slow to process information if the images are slipping across the retina at more than a few degrees per second. Your Sharingan would reduce the loss of sight perception but after a while, you'd be able to see a precedent motion before it occurs. Isn't that how it looked like when I tried to kick you and you blocked it with your hands?"

Kisuke was always right on the money of course. To Sasuke, it was like seeing several small translucent images at a time, at least about three seconds in advance before every motion of the attack.

"Furthermore, the Sharingan allows you to accurately judge someone's energy and can give you insight as to what they're about to do with it. For example, Shunpo is a technique that increases footing speed. To use it, you must partition some amount of spiritual energy to the soles of your feet and then compress the burst of power into steps or you'd be jumping at every step instead of running. Of course, people like us can only sense the technique while it's in motion. However for you, your eyes can tell already ahead of time what they are planning to do. Sounds about right, hm?"

Sasuke nodded. It was exactly as Kisuke said. If the shopkeeper had not explained it in such details, the Uchiha would have never believed that their fight was but a test run.

"One last thing. This is purely speculation on my part but I hope that later you'll prove me right when I say that because your eyes can do all that I've mentioned before, it allows you to recreate techniques that you've seen with the Sharingan." Urahara said.

"You mean I can copy things I've seen with the Sharingan?" Sasuke questioned with doubt.

"Like I said it is only speculation. The reason why I'm bringing this topic out it's because you were able to do my blood-mist shield only after seeing it once. That destruction spell I casted should be the proof I need if you perform it as well." Kisuke said.

"Why? Are you sure its something anyone can't do?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, the destruction spells are pretty common to soul reapers but my technique is unique because it stems from my zanpakuto." Kisuke explained. "Even then, destruction spells are techniques to be learned by practice but if you happen to be able to recreate it without much effort...let's just say your potential as a Kidō master will be very certain."

Sasuke reflected on the scientist's words and could find no lies within them, since he had witnessed first-hand everything Urahara said. Now it was time to move on to the next question.

"Urahara, I do not doubt your observations but I'm not going to swallow that you were able to deduce all of it just by fighting me. After all, you did give my red eyes a name. In fact, it seemed like you knew what they were in the first place and you only reinforced what you knew by fighting me. That means that you knew about me and my eyes even before you met me, didn't you?" Sasuke bitterly said.

"I know what you're thinking Sasuke-kun. You thought I manipulated you into coming here and helping me out with my store. You're partially correct and I apologize for it." With that said, Kisuke bowed formally to the Uchiha, who was taken aback by the gesture. Never in his lifetime did Sasuke think Kisuke had the ability to apologize seriously to others.

"To start off, when I said you were connected to soul reapers, I really meant it." Urahara continued. "The domain of the soul reapers, which is Soul Society, used to be my home and the Sharingan used to be something akin to a myth. It was said to be a godly ability, once owned by a Soul Reaper. However, the Soul Reaper in question was equally a myth. He or she never existed within the archives of the military faction of soul society, which is located in the court of pure souls. In any case, I had done research on the Sharingan, since the folktale did pique my curiosity but because I never was able to properly assert its abilities, I dismissed it as rubbish."

"And so you took me in so I could be your guinea pig, huh?" Sasuke spat.

"Now I'm going to be seriously offended by that. I'm not that much of a cruel person. If I was, I would've never bothered welcoming you here by Isshin's request. Instead, I would've simply made short work of you and then open you up and test your eyeballs on several different gigais."

Because Kisuke had said that without doing his annoying facial antics, it gave chills to the Uchiha. "Then why..."

"I'm a shopkeeper for the same reason people work in banks, in schools and hospitals and so on: to help people. Society must work together or they will succumb to economical rot, not to mention other factors such as citizen desertion, social depression, crime and immorality. If we don't help each other, how can we help ourselves? I thought you learned that during your trips."

Sasuke's onyx eyes widened as realization dawned on him. He had completely forgotten the point of his work and had begun to pass it off as routine. Kisuke had already seen that far ahead when he hired him. It was one more lesson to Sasuke. To receive something, one must give something in almost equal value. There was no free pass to everything.

"That doesn't explain why you stabbed me. You actually went on with it and tried to kill me." Sasuke reminded spitefully.

"You are one-third right. I had to stab your hakusui, the origin of your spiritual energy and thrust my own reiryoku into you to get rid of minus energy. This caused a chain reaction to the saketsu, or the booster, like a vaccine does to viruses. Finally, your body went under stress, just like a sick body does when its immune system fights a destructive alien matter." Urahara explained.

"Minus energy?" Sasuke asked. Kisuke then explained how soul bodies work when they're left in the human realm with their chain of fate still attached to them. He also explained to Sasuke although he is a complete soul, Kisuke found traces of encroachment rebirth, a rare symptom that afflict souls that accidentally remain in the human realm for long periods even after being purified by soul burial and their hakusui remain in frozen stasis, unable to to produce perpetual "plus" energy. The body then supplements itself by absorbing anything it can find by small bits, even if those bits are "minus" energy. A power thrust is then needed to reanimate the hakusui and the rest of the spiritual energy is distributed by the saketsu.

"Then why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Sasuke asked.

"Because for starters, even now you have a hard time believing me. Furthermore, it was a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. We could find out exactly how the Sharingan works and at the same time get rid of your symptom. Not that it was lethal yet but it's not a gradual type of sickness where you start feeling the pain and then it gets worse. One day you walk and then-BAM!-you disappear into nothingness."

"Oh." Sasuke let that one sink in for a while and then went on with his next question. "Who are you, really?"

"I thought I already said it, or maybe you focused too hard on how your eyes work. I used to be a scientist working in Soul Society. Oh and before you ask what happened, I just happened to have a change of heart and decided to make earth my home." Kisuke said as he waved his fan again. "We really need an AC. This is getting ridiculous."

"Really? You just happened to have a change of heart?" Sasuke reiterated.

"Yes. Any more questions?" The shop manager asked weakly. It seemed like the heat was really getting to him.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Sasuke asked. Urahara removed his hat and ran a hand through his pale grey hair.

"I think you already know what do to. The question is when and how are you going to do it and just in case you'll be asking in the nearby future, I have no means of getting you to Soul Society." Kisuke said.

"I had no intention of going there in the first place!" Sasuke quickly answered back. He realized how fast he rejected the idea and decided that he had enough of their conversation. He stood up. "Let's go test this copying ability of mine."

"Now? But I'm all hot and bothered." The shopkeeper whined, returning to his old self. "Maybe if a certain someone got me some jumbo sized popsicles..."

Sasuke sighed. He could already see where this was going but he didn't feel like threatening his employer. Or rather, now it felt useless to resort to those measures after witnessing what Urahara Kisuke, the so-called ex-scientist of Soul Society could really do. "What kind of popsicles do you want? I don't feel like doing two-way trips just because I didn't bring the right flavor."

"Oh, oh, oh, the ones that have strawberry and vanilla mixed together. Those are so goooood. And um, I wanna try the new one in the commercial they showed yesterday. What was it again? Passion fruit or something like that." Kisuke numerated with gusto. Sasuke stared in bewilderment, unable to put the harmless Kisuke now and the serious one all together.

"What? Is there something on my face? Tell me now, because last time, there was this snot that hanged from my nose and I scared this prospective client and..."

Sasuke shook his head in exasperation, drowning out the shopkeeper's embarrassing story. He called out Yuki, entered his gigai and then left the store. Only after the _shoji _door closed did Tessai come into the living room.

"Are you sure its all right to leave it like this?" Tessai asked as he brought the mechanical fan on the table and plugged the machine.

"Phew, thanks Tessai-san." Kisuke said as he hanged his head backwards and let the wind cool his upper body. "What do you mean by leaving it like this?"

"I'm talking about the real reason why you stabbed Sasuke. You and I both know there's no such thing as an encroachment rebirth symptom." Tessai said. Kisuke lazily glanced at Tessai and then shut his eyes.

"_That person_..." Kisuke began "...that person said not reveal the origin of the crimson sphere to Sasuke-kun and to make up an excuse for transferring that power to him. You already know that only zanpakutos are instruments that act like a bridge for one's spiritual power and as well as transferring one's power to another via the hakusui in case of desperate situations. I didn't have to shove it all the way, as doing so can damage the saketsui but anything less might have aroused suspicion. And besides, just like he said, that sphere did patch Sasuke's wound up good. "

Tessai groaned lightly in resignation which prompted the store manager to give a serious piece of attention to his assistant. "I understand your feelings, seeing how both of you used to live in _that time. _This is why that person gave me the task of performing that little ordeal to Sasuke because he sincerely believed that you would've been too soft to carry it out."

"I understand it well. It's just... that reiatsu of his... it felt very nostalgic." Tessai said. Kisuke nodded and returned to his original resting position.

"Outsiders have it tough, huh Tessai-san?" Kisuke said. His friend nodded, arms crossed as he thoughtfully walked his path of reminiscence.

* * *

Afternoon dusk swept Japan's Shinjuku district and amongst the rowdy sea of people, a bright light unseen by the naked human eye gathered in front of a music store. The light dissipated, revealing a feudal-era architectural gate. The doors opened, allowing a petite woman with dark hair and a single bang parting her big, deep purplish eyes to enter the world. She withdrew a cell phone from her black hakama.

"Oh my, this is the wrong zone. I guess the research and development bureau sent me to the wrong location by accident." She said, snap-shutting her cell phone as she ascended into the air. She took one last look at the multitude of people, amazed at their numbers and then flew off into the distance.

* * *

"Thank you and come again!"

Sasuke nodded to the store clerk and left the establishment, requested items in bag in hand. Normally such an errand would've irritated him to no ends but his mind was too preoccupied with the events that occurred today. He had gained a bit of insight as to what he could do but nothing really as to what he was exactly.

_Yet here you are, your chain of fate gone, a sword at your waist-side, slaying hollows on a regular basis and your combat skills worthy of being called a soul reaper. Care to explain?_

_To distrust something or someone, you must have had a connection with that thing or person before, ergo, you have a connection with soul reapers. In fact, it's almost better to say that you are a soul reaper._

_The Sharingan used to be something akin to finding lost relics. It was said to be a godly ability, once owned by a Soul Reaper._

Like an endless pool of thoughts, Urahara Kisuke's words echoed constantly in defiance as to what Sasuke did not want to believe. It wasn't that he didn't want to believe the man but when he heard it in his head, it only reinforced why Sasuke had feelings of apprehension towards soul reapers. In retrospect, if that distrust was a sign of connection with soul reapers, then it meant that it was a bad connection. What could've happened between him and Soul Society's military faction torn the Uchiha apart. To evade the reason of his mistrust ceaselessly gnawed at his need to know his past. He felt that if he started to investigate this connection, he would go past a point of no return.

Sasuke sighed as he crossed the street. Perhaps the real matter at hand was… what was he afraid to find out? What if by some chance he was someone capable of committing atrocities upon others? Urahara Kisuke had said it himself, that people were the worst examples at upholding the laws of self-preservation because they used it as an excuse to butcher each other up. The holocaust, apartheid, ethnic cleansings, international genocides and systematic persecutions were prime examples of that. To protect one-selves, humans attacked with prejudice because they feared what they did not know and understand and anything from the side of the unknown that tried to get others to understand; the other side would feign ignorance and come up with their own misguided views on what the unknown was.

To be prejudged and then condemned without a say was what Sasuke feared. What if he was that unknown? What if he had committed a malevolent act in such great volumes that he was forced to hide out here? What would happen if he regained his memories and then became the evil person he feared to be? Would he continue to walk a dark path despite everything he had experienced here in the human world? Such a thing would've seemed inconceivable to the amnesiac but that piece of memory he had seen during his fight with Kisuke only reaffirmed his fears.

_"It's not a dream or a goal but more of an ambition. There's a certain man I'm going to kill..."_

Who was he supposed to kill? Had he already killed that person? Was that person a soul reaper? If he was, then the clothes the three others, including him, were very different than the standard uniform the psychopomps of this world wore. Then again, they might have all worn gigais at that time and-

Sasuke groaned and allowed his hand to rub his face, as if he could wipe away the maelstrom of confusing thoughts. If he didn't stop over-thinking things, he would probably cause himself a nervous breakdown. For now, he needed to focus as to what he should do from this point on.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a spiritual energy clocking from the direction of the setting sun. He looked high into the distance, expecting to see the Soul Reaper that was in charge of patrolling Karakura Town. Perhaps it was maybe time to completely disregard his foreboding feelings for Soul Reapers and confront the truth that others might know. However, it was not the man he had been expecting. It was a young looking woman apparently being chased by three prehistoric, ibis-like Hollows, resembling the flying dinosaurs Sasuke had seen once in a museum. The three seemed to have the same mindset as they perfectly coordinated their attacks. The Soul Reaper was doing well in evading them but she wasn't retaliating at all. She did not seem afraid to strike back so why wasn't she doing so? As much as Sasuke didn't want to get involved, the mere thought that there was a chance that she didn't attack because she was not able to get the alleged soul reaper to take out his soul candy dispenser and prepared himself for the worst.

* * *

Furtively glancing at the expanse all the while evading the Hollows' attack proved to be more difficult that she envisioned but the best way to take out those airborne creatures was to lure them to the ground. She wasn't the type to get humans involved in her fight so she had been looking for an empty space to duke it out. The area she scouted ahead seemed perfect. All that was needed was to get them to the ground to break up their aerial formation and then strike them individually. Sometimes it felt rewarding to have paid attention in the Soul Reaper Academy.

She finally unsheathed her blade and allowed herself to drop backwards when she abruptly noticed that only two of the three were following her front side. The third one had swooped down earlier and tried to ram its beak against her back. She spun to her left, narrowly avoiding the blow but one of the Hollow's razor-sharp wings grazed her sword-wielding hand. She let go of her zanpakuto due to the pain.

"Damn!" She cried out, preparing to cast a spell when she suddenly felt another spiritual pressure. _Another Soul Reaper?_

She turned around. Her deep blue eyes met piercing crimson ones. A young-looking swordsman unsheathed his own blade, knocking her sword into a spin and caught the hilt with his free hand expertly. He then rushed right past her.

"Hey! Where are you-" She stopped herself when she saw the Soul Reaper's dual handed strokes moving at eye-numbing speeds, his attacks appearing like white flashes against two of the Hollow triad. He then distanced himself from the two, contemplating the deep cuts he had given them and then moved towards her when they disintegrated into the familiar black ash. Suddenly, he jumped back in a flip, evading the last Hollow's attack and at the same time digging the sole of his right foot into the bird-like Hollow's abdomen. She could've let the Hollow continue its forceful trek across the pale yellowish skies but she decided to end it here and there.

"_Hadō # 4: Pale Lightning_!"

A beam of blinding light shot from her index like a spear and bore through the Hollow's skull. The latter fell to its end, its body vanishing into black dust. Her unannounced comrade arrived at her side and relegated her sword.

"Sorry for taking it without your consent." He apologized. She noticed there was no sign of arrogance or mockery in his apology and was caught off-guard when the piercing red eyes she had once looked into had changed to obsidian pools. She shook it off and took hold of her sword and slid it back in its sheath.

"Do not worry about it. I do not chastise help." She said. "Although, I will admit I am surprised to find another Soul Reaper in this area. I was told to supervise this area for a day since the Soul Reaper in charge here had returned for his monthly report. I really can't fathom the R&D bureau making another mistake by sending me here while there was another one already."

The equally dark-haired Soul Reaper did not utter a word but he was eyeing her strangely. She thought that perhaps he thought she was the strange one. "My apologies I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kuchiki Rukia of the Thirteenth Division. You are..."

The Soul Reaper she thought he was flicked his sword to wipe the blood off the blade and then returned it to its custom sheath. He blinked. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, employee of the Urahara shop."


	12. The Dream of an Absolution

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles**

* * *

The male swordsman handed the frozen treat to Rukia, who nodded thankfully and had a taste of it. "It is good. So that's a popsicle, hm..."

"Is this your first time eating one?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes." Rukia answered. "Is it strange?"

"There's a first time for everything, so no." Sasuke said.

The two sat down on a wooden bench located in a playground. The night was beginning to fall and the human's presence in the park was sparse. Sasuke had sent Yuki home with the rest of the popsicles, leaving the two Soul Reapers alone. Although he didn't show it, Sasuke was rather nervous. He would occasionally glance at the petite woman sitting beside him, constantly convincing himself that despite her small stature, she was indeed a Soul Reaper and could take care of herself.

That and the fact that this was the first time he was speaking to a Soul Reaper.

"I like this place. It is very calm here." Rukia said referring to her first few minutes of relative calm she had spent in the Shinjuku district.

"That's because it's nightfall. Humans disperse to return to their homes." Sasuke said presumptuously.

"So Uchiha-san, you-

"Just call me Sasuke." The young man intermitted immediately. Somehow being called by his last name made him feel… really weird.

"Oh, very well then. Sasuke-san, you said that you are an employee of Urahara Kisuke? How did that happen?" she asked.

"Fateful coincidence." The Uchiha replied, taking another lick at his treat. "I met him by chance."

Rukia frowned. "So you met him by chance and then decided to work for him? Wouldn't that put you in serious trouble?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to mimic the facial gesture. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I am assuming that the Soul Society knows you are here, right? Then unless it was by their decree, staying longer than necessary in the human world could constitute as a felony." The Kuchiki explained.

Sasuke smirked. "Is that so?"

"This not a laughing matter!" Rukia snapped, bewildered by the man's indifferent demeanor. "The judicial system is swift and merciless. If you do not return or at least alert the reason as to why you are here then-

"Would they send someone to get me here?" Sasuke asked, lifting his head up to the darkened skies.

"Yes!" Rukia almost yelled. She couldn't understand why this man was so laid back about all of this. No Soul Reaper could act so casual about something as serious as a felony charge. It almost seemed like...

"Sasuke-san?"

The onix-eyed swordsman looked back to her. "Yes?"

"You do know that law, right? You could not have possibly forgotten that law, right?" She asked, truly anxious now.

"It's possible. After all, I don't know much about myself and it doesn't look like Soul Society does either." Sasuke said.

"What?" The dark bluish eyed woman exclaimed.

Sasuke blinked and then told her his story. He told her of his awakening within the human realm, that all that he remembered was his name and of the events which led him to becoming an employee of Urahara's shop. She listened attentively, rapt in the Uchiha's tale. When he was finished, Rukia took notice her own steady breathing again and pondered the story.

"That is... an incredible series of events, Sasuke-san. Certainly, if you had gone missing, the division of which you were assigned to would've sent someone to get you or they would've gone as far as sending someone from the detention unit, depending on your relative... importance. However, since you've lived here for four years and it's only been two months since you've met Urahara Kisuke then it's safe to assume that either you're a natural born soul who somehow accidentally made it here in the human world or..." Rukia trailed off with uncertainty.

"Or what?" Sasuke asked, almost pleading.

"Or you were exiled, in the same way Urahara was." Rukia finished, shocking the amnesiac with her answer. So then the shop manager had been exiled. It would explain a lot but for what purpose was he exiled? He was about to ask her the reason when he felt… off, that it wasn't right. Even if he did know the reason, what then? It was not like that sort of information would help him in anyway.

"Still... it does not explain why you have Soul Reaper abilities, much less a zanpaktou." Rukia pointed out. "If you were exiled, then I am certain that they would've stripped you of such things."

"Maybe I don't have Soul Reaper abilities. Maybe I'm simply good at what I do." Sasuke countered in irritation before immediately scolding himself for it. Why did it irritate him so much every time he was labeled anything remotely close to a Soul Reaper?

"I heavily doubt it. When a Soul Reaper is stripped of their powers, their hakusui remains but the gradual spiritual increase aspect of their booster is destroyed. I felt your reiatsu rise and lower when we first encountered. A regular soul would not be able to do that." The Kuchiki stated. Sasuke slowly nodded.

"So then I'm supposed to accept that I'm a natural born soul who ended up here..." Sasuke said "...somehow that explanation is easier to swallow compared to supposedly being a Soul Reaper-in-exile."

"It is only but a hypothesis based on what I've studied in the academy and from what you have told me." Rukia said.

"The academy? There are educational facilities in Soul Society as well?" Sasuke asked, clearly interested.

What began at first as a series of question was now a full, drawn out conversation that drowned the two sword-wielding souls into each others lives. Sasuke was the one doing most of the questioning, clearly interested in the world in which Rukia lived and, whenever he received an answer, he would elude the discovery with something similar to the human realm, something that equally surprised the Soul Reaper. Time flew in what seemed the space of mere minutes as the two were captivated in each others knowledge.

"I have to say I am truly impressed by what you have told me, Sasuke-san." Rukia said. "I had very little knowledge of the human realm so I am clearly amazed at how similar it is to mine."

"It's the same for me." Sasuke admitted. "I think it's safe to say everyone in the human realm will suffer a tremendous paradigm shift when they get to their 'Heaven'."

"I can't help but think whether or not that is a sad or happy thing to hear." The Kuchiki quipped. "I've always had this idea that the realm of the living was the most unfortunate of the two but to think they are near similar..."

Sasuke was equally in doubt. Having versed himself in different theological literature, the common heaven that each book described seemed like an absolute paradise, where pain and suffering were but a distant nightmare and joy and laughter echoed throughout peaceful valleys. Thinking about it, the Uchiha quickly realized as to why the Heaven known as Soul Society housed its own personal angels of death.

"Kuchiki, do you-

"Rukia will do." the female soul reaper interrupted. "I'm not too fond of formalities when it concerns me."

Sasuke nodded. "Rukia, do you know if Soul Society has a way to track people that would've possibly been outside of the Court of Pure Souls?"

"You mean souls living in the Rukongai districts? I doubt it." Rukia answered. "Although Soul Reapers have jurisdiction over most of Soul Society, they do not meddle in the affairs of the common populace nor the noble ones for that matter, except if there is a shadow beyond a doubt that there is criminal activity that could jeopardize Soul Society. Meaningless to say, we keep records only of Soul Reapers and everything that is directly Soul Reaper related."

"I see." was all the raven-haired soul said.

"Sasuke-san, this may come as a surprise to you but there have been many cases in which Soul Reapers have lost their memories." Rukia said.

That caught the Uchiha's attention. "What?"

"I mean, there are those who, after they lived for long periods of time, cannot recall their past lives or remember things that have happened several centuries ago. Maybe you're not any different."

"No, this is not the same. At least, for those sorts of people, they had memories to begin with. Not only do I have nothing but whenever I try on my own to remember something, it's like a huge thick black wall that won't let me through. I know that the memories are there, but I just can't reach out to them." Sasuke said.

"Maybe... maybe it's something you're not supposed to remember or rather, maybe its something so painful that… your mind blocked it in an effort to protect you." Rukia explained producing a crestfallen expression that did not go unnoticed by Sasuke.

"…Something terrible happened to you, right?" Sasuke asked. Rukia reluctantly looked to the enigma that was Sasuke.

"Just a failure on my part from the past." she said, her voice slightly trembling. "It might sound wrong of me to say this, considering your circumstances, but if I could forget that time in my life then-"

"You'd feel an unbearable emptiness forever." Sasuke finished for her, putting Rukia on the spot. The Soul Reaper's eyes widened slightly at the young man's declaration but said nothing as he continued. "I'd rather live with a mistake that I've caused that could bring me sorrow than living with the misery of not knowing what I've done. Even if it's something irreversible, even if it's something terrible that I committed, I would want to have the memories so I could do everything in my power to atone for it."

Rukia's dark blue eyes grew wider. "B-But how can you atone for something that cannot be undone?! Is that not just wishful thinking?"

Sasuke locked his gaze with hers and then lowered his head. "Perhaps it is. I don't even know what I've done to carry this mild apprehension towards Soul Reapers yet here I am spewing nonsense. And yet... and yet I've been able to see humans forgiving others and humans seeking atonement. I've assisted humans doing all that they could to atone for what they have done. Maybe it's their selfishness prompting them to seek forgiveness so that they can have a sense of peace with themselves and if they cannot find it within another human, then they seek a greater power such as God to achieve their redemption. Whatever the case may be, if people had the ability to blot out the memories of their past mistakes, how could they ever learn from them? How could they change for the better? How could they get stronger from their past moments of weakness? Even if it is just a dream of an absolution, I think they all want to make it real."

Rukia remained silent, entranced by Sasuke's words which became a light dawning upon her clouded thoughts. Only when the Uchiha stood up abruptly did she break out of her reverie.

"Sasuke-san?"

The said Uchiha had his eyes closed in a moment of reflection. "It's clear to me now. As long as I don't confront my own mistrust towards Soul Reapers, then I will never be able to know what happened before I woke up in the human realm. Urahara was right; even if this connection is a bad one, even if it is painful, it means that I'm related to Soul Reapers. I might even be one."

He gripped his zanpaktou that was strapped within on his violet rope-belt for a moment before letting go. He opened his eyes and turned to the Soul Reaper still sitting beside him. "Rukia, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it Sasuke-san?" she asked.

"I-"

Before he could make his request, a sudden loud beep was heard from Rukia's person. She withdrew a cell phone from the deep sleeves of her hakama and flipped it open.

"Hollows!" she exclaimed. "And they're seven of them too."

"Seven? All at the same time?" Sasuke exclaimed as well. Hollows were a daily occurrence but for them to come out in groups like that was something new to him.

"Some Hollows tend to be more active during the night time." Rukia said. "Do not worry. I will take care of it."

"I'll assist." Sasuke offered.

"No, really, I will be fine." Rukia said.

"It's not that I have no confidence in your skills. This is just my way atoning for something I failed to do before." Sasuke said, remembering that painful time sometime ago. "Where are they?"

Rukia took another look at her cell phone. "Follow me."

* * *

The two ascended to the starry night skies with Rukia in the lead. As they were heading to their destination, Sasuke observed that they were getting closer to the entertainment district.

"Strange." Sasuke muttered.

"What is it?"

"It might just be my imagination but... this area gets attacked more often than others. I don't know if it's because it's usually the most populated area but even now at this time of night..."

"If there is something that gives off a lot of spiritual energy, then Hollows will come to it like moths to a flame." Rukia explained. Once they arrived close enough to sense the Hollows' reiatsu, Rukia pointed to the east. "Four in that direction," she then pointed to the north. "one in that direction and two others are heading straight for us."

"Then I'll go east." Sasuke and before Rukia could contend with his offer, he took off. It didn't take long before he met with a flying Hollow, to which he dispatched quickly. He then landed on the ground to face off against a group of scorpion-looking Hollows.

"Become my guinea pigs!" The Uchiha said as he pointed a finger to the closest one. If what Urahara said about the copying ability of his Sharingan was right then... "_Hadō #4: Pale Lightning_!"

A straight lightning bolt shot from his index, halving his target immediately before it turned to black dust. Sasuke suddenly felt his reiatsu dropping somewhat and quickly realized as he lunged forward with his next attack that these demon arts consumed a fair amount of _reiryoku_. Only when he killed the last Hollow with the thirty-first destructive art did he realize that the numbering of these techniques were meant as strength levels, the lowest requiring the least amount spiritual energy.

Sasuke felt Rukia's reiatsu stabilize, meaning that she was done on her part. They met up and instantly, the raven-haired female pointed a finger at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-san, your eyes!" she cried out. The Uchiha would've laughed but at how silly she looked with her startled big, glossy eyes but instead, he simply waved it off as if it were nothing.

"Let's just say that's a part of me I've recently discovered." He said nonchalantly. "A biological weapon I use when I fight."

"Really?" The Soul Reaper asked, unsure of the other Soul Reaper's explanation.

"Yes. Look." In a single, prolonged blink, the red irises with black _tomoes _reverted to their black lacquered eyes. Rukia softly whispered a "oh".

"In any case, thank you for your help." she said.

"Anytime." The Uchiha nodded agreeably. His eyes rested on the near-attacked area. It was but a simple hunch but there was something not quite right. Rukia, are you going to be here tomorrow?"

"The person I'm relieving should be back tomorrow at sunset. Why?" The Kuchiki asked.

"There's something I have to check out first. If my hunch is correct, then I might have to stay here longer, otherwise..." Sasuke trailed.

"Otherwise what?" Rukia probed as she sheathed her blade. Sasuke did the same.

"I can't say. I'll see you tomorrow." He said.

"Very well then. At least allow me to accompany you." Rukia suggested. Sasuke thought about it and figured there was no harm done there. He nodded and the two headed towards the Urahara shop. When they arrived quite a distance from the shop, they landed.

"Goodbye." Rukia said, turning away.

"Wait!" Sasuke called out to the Kuchiki.

"Hm?"

"Just in case I don't see you tomorrow... the favor I wanted to ask you."

"Yes?"

Sasuke took a deep breath before continuing. "If there was some way for you to investigate me in Soul Society, could you do it privately?"

"Erm, well-

"I won't run away! However, if I really did do something horrible, then I'd like to have a moment to contemplate it before I go on about it. I know this is a lot to ask of you, since we just met but-

"No, that is not it!" Rukia interrupted. "I wanted to suggest something of similar intent. The only difference is I would try to do it as privately as possible. I just didn't know how I was to go about it. I thought maybe you'd think that I was suspecting you or something."

"I see. Well then, I apologize beforehand for the trouble. Thank you."

"It is nothing, really." Rukia said, extending a right arm for a handshake. The Uchiha's gaze at the gesture seemed skeptical, embarrassing the Kuchiki. "Oh sorry, I forgot you mistrusted Soul Reapers..." She was about to withdraw her hand when Sasuke awkwardly caught it with his left and then clutched it with his right when he felt it was about to slip away.

"I might mistrust Soul Reapers...but I do not mistrust Kuchiki Rukia" Sasuke said, bringing a small, gentle smile to the petite soul reaper. "It's so soft..." The Uchiha absently added as he rubbed her hand, startling Rukia to the point small blushing traces of red appeared on both side of her cheeks. Sasuke finally noticed how awkward his two handed inert handshake was so he let go abruptly.

"I-I have to go." Rukia said nervously. Sasuke looked away, clearing his throat.

"I'll be in your care then." Sasuke said. Rukia nodded and whisked away.

* * *

"How was your date?" Kisuke said, grinning slyly at the Uchiha who just walked in. The latter noticed the cool air in the shop and realized that the shop manager had finally gotten himself a decent air conditioning unit. It was about damn time, especially after grey haired man had repeatedly made attempts to steal the one in Sasuke's room because he was too cheap and lazy to get one himself.

"It wasn't a date Urahara, just a casual meeting." Sasuke said, finding Kisuke's annoyance a relief. Truthfully, it didn't feel quite right when he acted seriously.

"Huh-uh, suuuuuure. Whatever you say, Mr. ladies' man. As if I don't know about Yukiko, Kyrie and Asumi who keep checking you out." Urahara said. Sasuke, who was in the middle of drinking a can of soda, spat out the contents in the sink.

"What the hell? Did you go through my stuff again?" The Uchiha raged. Kisuke shrugged off.

"Of course not silly. I found out from the voice-mail they left on the phone _everyone_ uses. Oh, and the last one sounds pretty strange." the shop manager said.

"The last one? What's it about?" The Uchiha queried after he wiped his mouth.

"Go listen to it. You'll see what I mean." Kisuke waved off. Sasuke went to the answering machine, got past the announcements of how many messages there were and began to listen.

_First message_

_Tenchou, I'm at the pharmacy and I got the medicine for your constipation just like you asked but I really think we should've just bought the one on the T.V. ad. You know, the one-_

_Message deleted. Next message._

_HI SASUKE-KUUUN, ITS YUKIKO, REMEMBER ME FROM THE—_

_Message deleted. Next message._

_Er, um, erm, it's uh—_

_Message deleted. Next message._

_Listen you bastard! Lady Kyrie is offering a twerp like you to join the Torimaru gang. If you—_

_Message deleted. Next message_

_Do you have an interest in spirits, ghosts, aliens or the paranormal? Have you been ridiculed before for seeing one or hearing one. If so, come join ANBU CORP. We will gladly help you—_

_Message deleted. End of messages._

"I'm not fond of using foul language but...what the _fuck_ was that? That was absolutely a total of waste of my time." Sasuke spat in pellucid aggravation.

"Oh come on, it only took five minutes of your life. It's not going to hurt you." Kisuke said, covering his mouth to hide the laughter. Sasuke groaned and headed to the kotatsu table.

"Urahara, we need to talk."


	13. The Fate of Those Who Leave Their Homes

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

**"The author would like to wish every canadian happy Canada's day. The author would also like to use the coincidental chance to present the latest chapter of this fanfic."**

Author: Happy Canada's day, Sasuke

**"I'm not Canadian, you fool. I'm japanese."**

Author: Really? Since when did the five elemental countries constitued as the land of the rising sun?

**"Since I can speak japanese, partake in japanese traditions, know japanese connotations and puns and eat japanese food. And I'm a ninja. Do I need to go any further?"**

Author: But...but I thought you were Konohakian.

**"That's not even a word! How can people take you seriously when you make stuff up like that?"**

Author: ...so...you're _not_ Konohakian. Hmm...what's the word from someone who comes from Konoha? Konoha-jin?

**"I told you already: I'm Japanese!"**

Author: It's settled then. You're a Konoha-jin!

**"GAH!"**

* * *

_The familiar cloudy, ethereal landscape was illuminated by the thin, pale silvery rays from the skies above. Sasuke recognized the horizon that had no end in sight. It was here he first met the white, cloud-formed beast but there was no sight of it. The Uchiha cried out, asking for it but there was no answer._

_He looked up; a pristine white dragon-like creature traversed the heavenly clouds above, bearing hooves with lightning dancing all around it. Its eyes stared directly into Sasuke's own and the young man felt something familiar about it… like a kindred spirit. _

_"…Do you still not know your name?" _

_The cloud-covered beast appeared before Sasuke, its form large and looking down on the Uchiha unlike before. _

_"I know your name. It's…" _

_The beast continued to stare, a tear running down its right eye. Sasuke felt a sudden unbearable sadness creep into his heart seeing the beast shed a tear at his expense. He reached out to it. _

_"Can you still not here me? Your name is…" _

_The immaculate beast turned away from the Uchiha's hand, braking contact from his eyes and retreated back. The clouds shifted from a pristine white to a dark grey, with both rain and lightning coming forth. _

_"Wait! Don't go!" Sasuke pleaded to the beast, only for it to fall to deft ears. _

_The beast jumped into the air, galloping on nothing as it returned to the clouds above, tearing the celestial air asunder. A flash of white blinded Sasuke and then struck him as if it had passed judgment upon the Soul Reaper._

_A single whisper was heard. _

_"**What do you see beyond your blade…"**_

* * *

Sasuke woke up, his breathing rasp and loud. He put a hand over his chest and felt his heartbeat threatening to come out at any minute. He was able to clam down eventually and then rest his head once more.

"A dream… It was only just a dream."

He thought about returning to sleep but he was too bothered by his startled wake. He looked at the clock and then decided it was time for an early morning excursion.

* * *

A light mist could not hide the crimson pair of eyes glared everywhere without a moment's notice. Without the morning rush, the district felt desolate and grim. Nevertheless, lifelessness was exactly what Uchiha Sasuke wanted. He did not want to be bothered by anything or anyone hence he left home before the morning rays could shatter the sleep inducing darkness. Going on by the advice of Kuchiki Rukia and his employer, the thing he sought was spiritual energy diffusing from dense reiryoku, which had great potential in attracting otherworldly nocturnal creatures. It had been an hour and he had found nothing. He limited himself to walking to make sure he did not overlook anything.

On the same agenda, Sasuke was also trying to feel Rukia's reiatsu. Either she had already left prematurely or she was too far from being sensed. If the first assumption was correct, then Sasuke could be content that she would carry out his wish.

Sasuke heard quiet murmur. He approached the source and found a pair of police cars and two fire trucks investigating a broken street light and a vandalized jewelry store. Sasuke recognized the handiwork of the traffic light. The suspending pole had been severed and the crater several feet ahead was last night's battle against the hollows. Some humans must've taken advantage of the commotion and taken what they wanted. Caution tapes were installed and not a moment too soon, a black limo rolled up. Sasuke knew something wasn't quite right with the scene when a girl, probably no older than fifteen or sixteen years of age, came out of the limo. She had bleach blond hair with darkish pink highlights, light green eyes with a deep shade of black outlining them and small lips coated with jet-black lipstick. Her attire was a white frilled shirt accompanied with a black Victorian style dress. Her shirt was accessorized with a black tie with a small white upside down cross at the tip. Skull earrings hanged from each ear and black low-heeled boots covered her legs.

Sasuke had seen government agents before but they were never this young looking. The foreboding feeling only increased when she appeared to be locking a dead cold gaze with him for what seemed to be too long to be but a simple glance. Her lips gave slight cryptic curve and then she turned away.

It was right there and then Sasuke felt a foreign energy signature. He spun his attention to the source, seeing a shadow peering from the side of a building. When the shadow saw it was spotted, it ran away.

"Wait!" Sasuke cried out, going instantly into pursuit. Sasuke accelerated his steps, soon turning them into flight. He was catching up to the suspect and soon enough, he had him cornered into an alley.

"Damn you guys work quick!" the figure said. A closer look revealed a middle-aged looking man wearing soul reaper uniform. He had modified the sleeves by tightening them with white knot ropes. He was of a light, brown skin color similar to Tessai and each strand of hair was braided. "Special Forces don't waste any time now, do they?"

"Special Forces?" Sasuke repeated. "I think you're mistaken. I'm just -"

The man didn't let the Uchiha finish. He drew his blade and went for a thrust. Sasuke quickly unsheathed his and parried the lethal attack from the right. The man then jumped over the other soul reaper and swung his blade down as hard as he could. Sasuke lightly darted back, evading another hit.

"You're misunderstanding the situation!" Sasuke tried to reason. "I'm not your enemy!"

His assailant continued his relentless effort. "Yeah right, like I haven't heard that one before! Sorry kid but I know how Special Forces do their work: they'll try anything to get their target. The only reason why you're tryin' to talk me down is 'cause Soul Society wants me alive, ain't it?"

"It's nothing like that!" Sasuke said, deflecting another thrust. "I just want to talk. I don't have any ulterior motive behind it."

"You're already talking!" The man said, pushing Sasuke's blade until it hit the wall. "And if ya want my opinion, ya do way too much of that!" He planted a feet on Sasuke's flat side of the blade, effectively pinning it up and then jumped up to deliver a kick. The Uchiha grabbed the man's free leg and used it as leverage to throw him over a garbage bin.

"Listen to me! I'm not here to apprehend you. I simply need to know why-"

"Shut up!" The man's voice cried out from the bin. "Shut up, ya overzealous crackpot. Ya think I don't know you fuckers operate? Why don't you and your friends try to grow a brain and realize what the hell is going on with Soul Society."

The man jumped out from the garbage bin, rubbing away the trash from himself. "Ya fuckers killed my best friend like a dog just because he was tryin' to help out the place he loved the most, and in the most mother fucking heinous way to do it too."

Sasuke felt the radical change in the man's reiatsu, like a carbonated drink fizzing before reaching explosion. "Calm down! You have me wrong! I'm not-

"Using that silver-tongue of yours to apprehend him and then torture the livin' hell out of him to get answers from us. I'll never forgive anyone of ya!" The enraged man lifted his blade with his left hand and suspended it in mid-air from the left side of his body.

"Tear 'em limb to limb_, Girimaru._"

The sword disintegrated into small particles and enveloped his left arm up to his elbow like a black gauntlet sleeve. Small, black nails protruded from his fingers.

"First, I'm going to tear the living shit out of you, then I'm gonna get all the information I need from ya and then I'll kill ya!"

The man lunged forward with a swipe of his claws. Sasuke put up a guard with his blade, avoiding the swipe but allowing his enemy to grab his sword with his zanpakuto fused hand and using his other arm to point at Sasuke.

"Way of Destruction no. 1: Thrust!"

Sasuke was pushed away from the caster, forced to let go of his sword. He received no damage from the spell but now he was put in a disadvantageous situation and the smug on the self-proclaimed fugitive indicated that he knew his position as well.

"My nickname in Soul Society was the 'Sword Thief', due to my zanpakuto's ability to make my arm as sharp as steel. Ya can put two and two together and get how I got the nickname." The braided haired man said, chucking the Uchiha's sword behind him. "Now that you're defenseless, you chances of winning are slim to none."

Sasuke silently disagreed with his opponent's declaration. He prepared to cast the same spell the man had done before. His assailant was already charging towards him and he, in return, muttered the same words.

Nothing came out.

"Die!" The man screamed, launching a hand thrust at the unguarded Sasuke's head. The latter barely avoided the attack by tilting his body aside and then darting backwards. The fugitive cackled.

"What happened, _onmitsukido-san_? It looked like you were about to try something but I guess ya were too slow." He said. Sasuke dismissed the incorrect assumption. Its not that he wasn't too slow, it's just that he had forgotten that his Sharingan no longer activated subconsciously ever since he fought with Urahara.

The sharp pain he suddenly felt on the right side of his cheek and the blood that dripped from the four gashes begged to differ. His hand went to his wounded face and felt the sensation of the lightly viscous liquid. He heard his enemy roar with laughter.

"Oh my, I guess this is your first time seeing your own blood, huh? Ya probably thought you were sooo special, you couldn't be touched." he said, assuming wrongly again. Sasuke was barely surprised, only questioning how did he receive the wound if he had clearly evaded the attack? The Sharingan would answer the question for him.

"I have no intention of killing you," Sasuke declared, "however, since you're making a pass at my life without even wanting to hear me out, then I have no choice but to hurt you until you can't move your arm anymore."

"Hah! I'd like to see ya try!" The man said, flexing his edged-arm. Sasuke first evaluated his surroundings and then was satisfied with the narrow space of the alley. He flash stepped towards his opponent. He could already see the latter anticipating his attack with a hand thrust on his own.

"Perfect." Sasuke mumbled as he jumped on the wall and then spun around to land the flat side of his foot straight onto his opponent's face. The fugitive staggered from his rattled brain. Sasuke landed in front of his opponent and gut-punched him three times. His opponent was left gasping for air as he flailed his fused arm at the Uchiha. Sasuke's Sharingan could see the reishi outlining the gauntlet which increased cutting range of the soul reaper. He ducked the attack and then retaliated with a one-two maneuver and then added an uppercut.

"This is where it ends." Sasuke said, using shunpo to reach the soaring body of the fugitive and then grabbing his neck. "You're going down, _literally_."

Sasuke pinned his body weight against his enemy until he smashed it inside the garbage bin. Sasuke let go and jumped away and then fished out his defeated enemy out of the bin and then shoved onto the wall. "Hmm, you're body's not tough at all." Sasuke muttered as he went to his thrown blade and picked it up.

"Go on, finish me off!" The fugitive spat. Sasuke approached him with a quizzical look.

"At first, you were adamant on living and now you're eager to die. Are all soul reapers that fickle?" he asked.

"Fuck you!" He raged before being quickly silenced by Sasuke's blade. He looked down to see the sword impaling his zanpakuto-fused arm. "You're... not killing me?"

"I told you that I never had any intention of killing you." Sasuke said. "I just wanted you to be quiet for a minute so we could talk."

As soon as he removed the blade, the man's black gauntlet dematerialized and reformed into its original form.

"Fine. I'll listen."

Before either of the two realized it, the early morning fog had dissipated and the cloudy skies formed anew, unable to stop the ever rising searing weather. Sasuke leaned on a wall, arms crossed opposite to Watanabe Osamu, who was sitting, eye back against the wall as well.

"It's a bit late fer' that now but sorry I attacked ya. Methinks that even if I heard your story before our head-to-head, I would've had a hard time believin' that it was simple coincidence that ya was here." Osamu said apologetically.

"I don't mind too much although, now I want to hear your reason for being here. You said you were being hunted down by the special forces. Why? Sasuke asked. Osamu coughed and then spat the rest of the blood out of his mouth.

"Why else? I'm a rebel." he answered.

"A rebel?" Sasuke repeated, to which the middle-aged man laughed.

"You might have smarts for fightin' but when it comes to thinkin', you ain't too bright, huh?" Osamu said, earning a disapproval glare from the Uchiha. "When you go against the natural system of things, you automatically become a rebel and some systems deliver harsher punishment than others. That's how life works."

"And what were you rebelling against specifically?" Sasuke queried.

"Too complicated to explain in few words but let me paint ya a picture. People are naturally against change. They're either too comfortable with who, what, where and when they are or they lack power to change." Osamu explained. "So when this change gets in their face, they have resilience as hard as steel and that resilience come in the form Soul Society's secret, corrupt hand, the Special Forces."

"That still doesn't explain what are you exactly rebelling against." Sasuke pointed.

"Naw, it doesn't." Osamu admitted. "Then again, it's hard to tell a story when you're banged up like I am." He then looked up and for a brief moment, the Uchiha caught a flash of worry in the man's eyes. "Tell you what, you patch me up and I'll tell ya everything."

"…Deal." Sasuke agreed, reaching to help out the man, who gently shooed him away.

"No good Uchiha. Even if ya bring me to one of those human hospitals, what good is it gonna do if they can't see me? I reckon they'll treat a ghost with good hospice." he said, adding another forceful hearty laugh. The man seemed completely different than he was a while ago. Perhaps it was the true man's nature which led Sasuke to nod in agreement wholeheartedly.

"Then stay here and don't move. I doubt you'll be bothering anyone here." The Uchiha suggested.

"Not like I can do much here anyways." Osamu said. Before Sasuke could fly off to the Urahara shop, he piped up again. "Hey, I gotta ask: why you helpin' someone like me? I attacked ya and I even told ya me's a rebel but ya didn't kill me and now ya wanna patch me up."

Sasuke looked like he was taken aback by the question for a second and then he gave his own smug. "You're right. I don't really have an obligation to help you but I made an oath to my soul: never to abandon anyone in need."

"Even a foe?" the injured man asked.

"Even a foe." Sasuke repeated and then flew off. It wasn't until he was about twenty minutes away from the entertainment district that he sensed for a short amount of time several reiatsu signatures to which he couldn't identify and then they vanished. When he returned to where Watanabe Osamu was, he was gone.

* * *

_Soul Society - Restricted 2nd level Access - General Soul Reaper Profile Archives_

Rukia had been browsing through multitudes of files on soul reapers for several hours. Even after being granted access to the general archives of Soul Society which could only be normally granted to vice-captains by her own captain, she found nothing on Uchiha Sasuke. And frankly, it was starting to worry her.

General archives on Soul Reapers where classified by bi-centuries and importance of soul reapers. Usually, first level archives, which could be accessed by any Soul Reaper contained information on newly appointed Soul Reapers dating the last hundred years or so. Even if they were promoted, they would've had the original position of a Soul Reaper until the one in question either reached vice-captaincy or higher.

So when she found nothing about Sasuke in the first level archives, she went had no choice but to ask permission out of Ukitate Jushiro to gain access to more restricted files. The permission would've fallen on Shiba Kaien but alas he was deceased. The request had drawn a small amount of suspicion from the captain but he paid it no heed and allowed the Kuchiki to go on.

So how was she supposed to keep the investigation secret if she needed 3rd level access to the General Archives? The records she was going through now were dating two hundred years back and there was nothing on Uchiha Sasuke.

"So that's where you are, Rukia!"

The voice came from her benevolent but ill-bodied captain. "Captain Ukitake, what brings you here?" she asked

"What else?" The man said with a smile. "You've been missing for over six hours now. Byakuya was starting to wonder if you had forgotten about the weekly tea ceremony you were supposed to attend to."

The reminder startled Rukia so much that she dropped the several books she had been carrying. "Oh no, how could have I forgotten? Nii-sama is going to be very angry with me."

"Angry? No. Disappointed? Maybe. Lonely? Very much so." The Captain of the 13th Division said. "Still, it isn't very like you to forget something like this that you've been doing for the last four and a half decades. What could be so important that you're looking for here?"

Rukia seemed to be very hesitant so the captain gave a reassuring smile. "Listen to me Rukia, if its something that will not threaten the rest of Soul Society, I promise I will keep it a secret."

"Truly?" She asked hopefully.

Her captain nodded. "Of course. So, what are you looking for?"

"It's actually a person. His name is Uchiha Sasuke. I met him yesterday when I was temporarily relieving the patrol guard stationed in the realm of the living..." She then began to recount the events that had transpired with her and the enigma that was Uchiha Sasuke while on her temporary field assignment. When she was finished with her tale, Captain Ukitate eyebrows had risen in surprise, a curious expression on his face.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing, Rukia." He said after a moment of silence.

"I know. In any case, I'd better go. I can't let Nii-sama wait any longer." she said as she bowed respectfully.

"You said his name was Uchiha Sasuke?" Ukitate asked in confirmation.

"Yes." The Kuchiki reconfirmed.

"And you say that he is an amnesiac?" He asked.

"Yes." His subordinate reconfirmed once more.

"All right, I won't hold you any longer. Go on." Juushiro said. The girl bowed once more and then scurried off. Once she was out of sight, his facial expression took a somber tone. The revelation prompted beads of cold sweat to pour from his brow and agitated his recurring cough.

"Sorry Rukia... but it looks like I have to break that promise."

* * *

The woman got into the car and her body felt grateful for the cool air conditioned backseat. She ordered her driver to go and then flipped open her cell phone.

"It's me." She greeted.

_"Rosetta? What happened?"_ a young man's voice said at the end.

"It took the shard. It used the early morning's commotion to draw suspicion away from it and broke into a jewelry store. According to the appraiser, only a fourteen carat gold necklace was stolen. Everything else remains."

_"I see. It's possible that necklace had what we're looking. I'll send another team to go after it. Transfer the coordinates to Shinomura's data base."_

Her long bangs hid her irritation. "I'm already on it, boss. What are you thinking?"

There was a moment of pause. _"There's... a problem. You need to pick up Uchiha Sasuke. Now."_

Rosetta's eyes narrowed. "That can wait, right? I don't have time for that. That creature who stole the necklace can recreate an environment with absolute perfection and blend in it. Only _I_ have the ability needed to track him with the trail of spiritual energy it left behind."

_"Well, that will just have to wait. You need to pick him up now." _

"Why is that?" She argued.

The man informed her of the reason, and when she heard it, a small smile crept up her lips. "Ah, the irony. You know, now that you've told me why, I don't really want to pick him up after all."

_"Rosetta!"_

"You do realize that if Sasuke meets _her_, his body is going to be sprawled all over that dingy shop."

_"And that's precisely why I want you to go there. Urahara did all he can but not even he can stop__her __wrath. If the two meet, it's not going to be pretty, so please pick him up. Rosetta."_

"..." The woman looked down at a piece of paper sitting next to her. She picked it up.

_"Rosetta?"_ the man called again.

Rosetta crumpled the paper next to the phone's receiver, mimicking the sound of static. "I'm sorry-can't hear you-going underground-bye!"

"_Roset-"_

She snapped the phone shut before her employer could complain, feeling a deep satisfaction to the woman both she and him knew at one time during their lifetime. However, her sense of responsibility to the woman in question had been creviced into her own personal feelings so she decided to make another call.

_"Inomari speaking."_ A sickly sweet voice said at the end of the line.

"Inomari, it's me, Rosetta."

_"Hey girl, what's happening?"_ she asked, her voice becoming a tad bit chirper.

"Nothing really but listen, do you remember that shard we recovered three days ago?"

_"Duh. We really opened a can of whoop-ass on that guy. Never saw it coming, heh heh."_

"I want you to modify the energy of that shard into special bait."

_"Bait? For what?"_

She glanced out the window of the car into the blue sky above a small smirk appearing on her lips. "For a certain type of Hollow..."

* * *

Sasuke came home and not too soon did he open the door that he saw Ururu dressed in a casual blouse and skirt with a cute, ribbon-tied straw hat. The Uchiha felt compelled to ask what was the little girl doing in the get-up.

"You don't remember?" She said, sounding disappointed.

"Remember what?" Sasuke asked.

"You said that you would take me to the shopping mall today so I could get new clothes. Today's the day." Ururu reminded.

"Really?" The raven-haired soul said skeptically. "When did I say that?"

"On the fourth day, last month, early morning." Ururu said nonchalantly. Sasuke was clearly taken aback by the precision of her memory. He sighed, feeling somewhat tired and at the same time impatient to ask the shop manager about the Special Forces of Soul Society. Ururu, reading Sasuke's eye movements, took the initiative to answer the question Sasuke was about to ask.

"Urahara-san went to meet a friend." She said.

"Who?" Sasuke queried curiosuly.

"Yoruichi-san. She's was supposed to come over today but I guess there was a change of plans." Ururu revealed. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in ponder. The name sounded familiar, like one of those nights when Urahara was talking to Tessai. He remembered the mild-mannered man mentioning the name only once and that was it.

He crouched to the little girl's level and brushed a strand of hair aside. "I understand. Sorry for not remembering. Let's go get my faux-body first and then we can go."

Ururu smiled and nodded. She waited outside while Sasuke stepped in. He called out to Jinta and Tessai but they were both gone. Perhaps both of them had gone to see this Yoruichi person. Once he was inside his room, he opened the closet and fished out the faux-body. He entered it and then stepped out of the shop.

"Today's on me Ururu. I'll buy you whatever you want." Sasuke offered.

"Really?" The girl asked, bug-eyed as usual. Sasuke cajoled her hair affectionately.

"Yes. Besides, girls your age shouldn't be just limited to wearing that tacky uniform all the time and having just a few spare clothes hanging in the corner of their closets. Urahara may take care of you well but he utterly fails in that department." Sasuke said as he extended a hand, to which Ururu held. The Uchiha wouldn't know it, what with Ururu's usual indifferent expression, but she was truly delighted on the inside to be spoiled for the first time in a long time.

* * *

A sea of human bodies flocked in all directions, trekking furiously like ants in the mall. Sasuke held Ururu's hand tighter, fearing that if he let go even one second, she would be swept away by the current, never to be seen again. Other than that, everything was better than Sasuke envisioned. They bought a duck plushy for the mod soul to inhabit, to which Yuki vehemently refused. Against his will, Sasuke forced the pill to go inside the golden-beaked duck and watched as the doll came to life. Then they had lunch and Sasuke was once again surprised to find Ururu's preference was spicy food. When asked why he was surprised, he responded it didn't seem like her to which she shrugged.

Another occurrence while waltzing through the mall was the female populace throwing long glances at Sasuke. Of course, the man hadn't paid attention until a teenaged-girl came and introduced herself. When she found out rather quickly how indifferent the pair was to her advances, she skipped away in embarrassment.

The trio finally reached a popular children's clothing store, to which Sasuke was greeted by a sales lady in a matter of seconds.

"Hi!" She beamed over-zealously. "Today we're having a thirty-percent off sale and-" the saleswoman bent down with hands on her knees to bring her attention to Ururu. "Oh my, what a lovely little girl. What's your name?"

"Tsumugiya Ururu." The pig-tailed girl self-introduced as monotonously as ever.

"Ururu-chan, huh? That's such a nice name." She said, her smiling lips reaching to her ears. She then looked up to Sasuke. "And to have your big brother come with you to shop; that's just so nice. You know, nowadays, big brothers are too busy with their social life to do anything with their family. Its nice to see some do care."

Ururu and Sasuke looked at each other, confused as to why the lady would refer to them as siblings. Sasuke was the first to protest. "No, you see, I'm actually-

"A very caring big brother. Oh, I know just the thing for your little sister. Follow me." She said, buzzing past another customer as she went deep inside the store. Sasuke didn't get it. Sure, they both had dark hair and Ururu had dark-blue eyes while Sasuke's were black as night and they both lacked joyful expression in spades but that didn't mean that-

"_Danna_, you're really dense at times." Yuki, who was seated on Sasuke's shoulder, whispered into the Uchiha's ears. Sasuke glanced at Ururu again and he finally could see why the lady would think such a thing. They both shrugged and sighed as they followed the sales lady.

* * *

_Soul Society - Commander General Private Meeting Room._

It was a rare occurrence for Kyoraku Shunsui. Emergency and general captain meetings were recurrences that happened frequently in the Court of Pure Souls but meeting privately with his best friend Ukitate Jushiro and long time acquaintance Unohana Retsu was a very rare event, especially when the meeting was held by grandfather figure Shigekuni-Yamamoto Genryuusai.

"Feels like it's a meeting of old men..." He said and then glanced at the single dark braided haired woman "...and old women. Sorry."

"I think the apology should be redirected at using the word "old" as a term, hmm Kyoraku?" The fourth division captain said without looking up. The eighth division leader grinned sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry about that then." Shunsui said. The oldest soul reaper cleared his throat to gather attention.

"Jushiro, you called for a private meeting for the four of us. It must be very important so speak at once." The _sotaichou_ordered. Ukitate nodded respectfully and then began.

"Yesterday, a non-seated officer of mine, Kuchiki Rukia went to temporarily relieve the patrol guard for his monthly report from the Living World. It was there…" The thirteenth division captain sucked in his breath. "...it was there that she met Uchiha Sasuke."

The familiar sense of complete astonishment was shown on all four presences in the room. Shunsui was the first to speak.

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" He asked twice, completely doubtful of his blood brother's own words.

"I don't want to believe it either but apart from the physical description, she also mentioned Sasuke's Sharingan." The ivory-haired man said.

"Oh my!" Retsu said, bringing a hand to her lips. "But how can that be? He perished in the advent of district zero, did he not?"

"To perish and to disappear are two different things, Retsu-san." Ukitate said. "Remember, many lives vanished during that catastrophe. The was no surge of new life in the living world in the aftermath. No reincarnations of any kind."

"Rukia might've met someone who looks like Sasuke, right?" Shunsui asked, almost pleading.

"Even so, it doesn't explain why he apparently has amnesia. Rukia claims that Uchiha Sasuke could only recall what he has remembered in his last four years of being in the Living Realm and that's all." Ukitate said

"Commander-General, what should we do?" Retsu asked.

The old man, the leader of the Thirteen Court Guards, had been already contemplating what should be done, all the while rubbing his long beard. "Ukitate Jushiro, have Kuchiki Rukia come here as soon as possible. We must have her sworn to secrecy on the pain of death about Uchiha Sasuke's existence. Meanwhile, I'll have my personal covert unit bring Sasuke here unharmed. We'll decide what we need to do after we bring him here for questioning."

No one argued the sensible decision.

"_Hai!_"

* * *

Sasuke thought that Ururu wasn't interested at all in the clothes but her basilisk-like stare at each piece of clothing that was swiped under the scanner seemed to suggest differently. Once they were out of the store, the pig-tailed girl tugged at Sasuke's shirt.

"What is it?" he asked. Ururu looked down on the black and white mosaic floor as if it were the most interesting piece of polished concrete she had ever seen in her life.

"Thank you." she said so quietly that it was almost a whisper in the wind. Sasuke couldn't help but give the young girl a small smile.

"You're welcome, Ururu."

Before she could respond, Ururu's eyes suddenly thinned and she dropped her bags. A single brow rose as Sasuke watched her antics.

"The enemy... the enemy is here." She said in monotone before sprinting forward into a mad dash before Sasuke could even blink.

"Sasuke-sama, I'm sensing something huge!" The duck plushie that Yuki possessed said.

"What?" The Uchiha almost yelled. He shook his head left and right but he had already lost sight of the dark-haired girl. "Ururu! Where are you?"

"I think she's reacting to that thing I'm sensing." Yuki said. "This is really bad."

Sasuke was now stricken with worry. He wasn't able to sense anything with the faux-body so he switched with Yuki in a matter of seconds. Only when he was in his soul form did he sense the aura.

"Hollows… and two of them too." He said out loud to no one particular. He ordered Yuki to stay put with his body and then flew outside to see what was going on but all there was were the multitude of humans frolicking about. He then picked up the foul energy from afar. He also spotted Ururu flying away.

"Ururu, wait!" He called out in vain. He decided to follow her and the closer they got to the Hollows' reiatsu, the greater the overwhelming aura was beginning to feel and it only added to Sasuke's anxiety.

And then he saw it.

A black shape of vast size, its towering form easily the match of the height for the many skyscrapers. The closer he got to the black shape, the more Sasuke realized how small he was compared to the monster. Sasuke then felt a sudden surge of energy coming from the other enormous Hollow that was farther than the one he currently faced. The blast shook the heavens, searing the very air and billowing gales of violent winds. A bead of sweat fell from the Uchiha's face, and his hand began to tremble.

He was supposed to fight that _thing_? And there were two of them too!

Ururu answered the question for him. She threw a right hook at the Hollow's white mask. The latter merely hobbled from the hit. It threw a large, pasty white arm at the pig-tailed girl, knocking her onto another building. Sasuke went to her quickly.

"Ururu! Are you alright?" He asked. The girl's eyes were fixated on the looming threat.

"Eradicate all enemies. All enemies must be eliminated." She said in monotonous manner. Sasuke turned his head to the giant Hollow.

"What is that thing?" He asked.

"Menos Grande." She answered. Another spike in spiritual energy gave chills down Sasuke's spine. He turned around and saw a massive blood-colored ball of energy gathering at high velocity in the great Hollow's mouth. The vacuum effect created by the Menos was destroying the building and Sasuke could feel the destructive force of the energy. It finished gathering all that it could and then fired the crimson wave.

There was no chance of escape. Even if Sasuke flash stepped, the range and radius was far too wide. Sasuke held Ururu close to his bosom, awaiting his end as he hoped that at least, he'd be able to protect the little girl with his back.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ To those who have been reviewing every chapter, __**Danish78**__ and __**AlignGray**__, I would like to say thank you. Seriously reading your reviews truly does make my day at times, especially seeing __**AlignGray**__ continue to ponder what exactly Sasuke was. Really reading your reviews made me crack up at times haha. _

_To answer your question regarding Sasuke's zanpaktou spirit __**Danish78**__, I do not know if __**ImperialPatty**__ had planned it to be that particular celestial beast, but as you can guess from the beginning of this chapter I have decided its going to be. _

_And to __**AlignGray**__, if you feel that the Japanese words added in Chapters Nine and above confused you, then I apologize. I forget that some people do not have knowledge on certain words and for that I'm sorry. Hopefully I can make it clearer for you in future chapters as I hoped I did with the description of the white beast I made in the beginning of this chapter. To answer your other question, Sasuke cannot copy everything. That will become apparent in future chapters. _

_Anyways I'm suffering from Writer's Block so if any of you are fans of DR, I apologize for not updating when I promised I would. I thought I could finish the chapter before I published but I couldn't put the words onto paper or type them out without becoming extremely frustrated. Do forgive me! However if I can get just one more review and hit the Fifty mark, then I'll happily push myself harder until I have it done by Monday at the earliest!_

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	14. The Clandestine Dark Suits

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_: spiritual particles.**

Author: A very interesting question propped up from one of the reviewers. I thought long and hard about it (okay, actually I just thought of it after I finished this chapter) and I decided to get someone else to help me out on it. Please introduce yourself.

**"I'm Tite Kubo. Nice to meet you."**

Author: Thanks for coming, Kubo-san. Now the question says "Sharingan requires chakra, and chakra is made by mixing the power of body and soul together, and he has no body." How does he do that?

**"I believe I'm the wrong person to ask that question. You should get Kishi-**

Author: Oh no, you are exactly the right person for this question because I have a question on my own: how the hell do souls bleed?

**"Excuse me?"**

"I can let the Hollows pass but how do _souls_ bleed? I remember the first episode with that girl, when those punks disrespected her grave, was bleeding from the head so I attributed to the fact that she died of an accident but how the hell did Rukia lose blood from being bitten? Isn't she supposed to be made of ectoplasmic matter?

**"Well, uh, erm..."**

"Yeah... I thought so. If you don't have an answer for that, than neither do I. Anyone who wants to make sense out of that, please go send a postcard to Tite and have him answer you. Maybe then, I'll give an answer of my own.

**Sasuke: "You say that but in this chapter's end, I feel like you're bull-crapping your own defense. In fact, this entire chapter might look like a mega-load of bull-crap. Maybe you should quit writing while you're ahead."**

Author: And maybe you should shut the hell up.

* * *

Sasuke could feel the heat from the massive energy ball roasting his back. Ururu kept on repeating that the Menos was an enemy and that it needed to be eradicated but there was no way he was going to let the little girl blasted to bits by the oversized horror.

The Hollow fired its crimson flash. Everything was seen red by the Uchiha and as he closed his eyes and waited for his inevitable end, he heard someone's voice echoing through his ears.

_"Kuchiyose: Suzakumon!"_

A loud explosive crash blasted the Uchiha through the cratered concrete. The ground rocked and gave way, letting the Uchiha and Ururu fall through another floor. Coarse debris buried him alive and then fell over as the building continued to shake. The aftermath of the destruction came to a long-awaited cease.

Sasuke grasped a tug at his consciousness after the lack of air kicked his need to be alive into overdrive. He shoved the concrete aside and then helped the pig-tailed girl to stand up.

"Are you all right?" He asked, coughing

"Y-Yes." Ururu answered. There were visible scratches on her face and arms but she seemed fine.

"I want you to go find Yuki and then the two of you return to the shop. I'll handle the rest from here." Sasuke said. He surveyed the damaged surroundings: dozens of people injured and/or incapacitated and one appeared to be dead. Sasuke looked outside and saw a great wall of steel blocking his view.

"But the enemy is-

"No buts Ururu! Go!" He yelled, scaring the girl. He mentally scolded himself. "I'm sorry. Please just leave."

The Urahara shop's employee nodded and then left the damaged building. Sasuke then got closer to the steel wall. The heavily bent shaped suggested that this wall had absorbed most of the impact, but where had it come from?

"Fwah, that was so close." A sickly, rich voice said behind him. Sasuke whipped around and met a teenage girl with sunny-bright hair, a thick bang covering one of her light blue eyes. She adorned a black jacket with leather skin-tight pants and equally dark heels.

"Who are you?" Sasuke interrogated.

"Me? I'm Haruka Inomari. Nice to meet ya!" She said with a perky smile, completely oblivious to the situation.

"Don't take credit for other people's work, ya dumb broad." A voice said above the Uchiha. His scarlet eyes darted to a slightly older teen, foot glued to the building wall. He had a single dark ponytail, thin dark eyes and a small scar across his nose. The ring on his bottom lip only helped to accentuate the dangerous feel he was giving with his black jacket and black cargo pants. He fished out from his pocket and pack of smokes and a lighter. "I just woke up fifteen minutes ago and I get a call from the boss to help you get out of this troublesome situation."

"Oh yeah, well no one asked for your help, Shiki! Go crawl back to the hole where ya came from!" Inomari yelled, raising a fist.

"Its Tetsuya Shikabane to you, ya dumb broad!" The smoker spat back.

"Why I oughta-"

"Guys! It's coming again!" Another male voice said. The voice came from a bulky, ripped teenage boy who stood on top of what Sasuke could describe at best a castle gate. He wore a long black overcoat and ankle length black jeans and black sandals.

"Chousuke, get down from here! You could get hurt!" The blonde warned. All four at the present felt the radical spike in spiritual energy once more. The Menos was going for a second blast. Instantly, Sasuke felt the same type of energy coming from the other hollow.

"Those ceros will be the bane of this city." A cold, husky voice said right beside Sasuke. It was the girl he saw coming out of the black limo earlier today. "You should go take care of that other one. It's going to kill that Soul Reaper."

So many events were happening so fast that it froze Sasuke's state of mind. Menos Grande attacking the city, these mysterious individuals with strange powers and the girl he had met earlier. All that the Uchiha could output was a question.

"Who are you, really?"

"No one you should be concerned about although... you'll know soon enough." The amber-eyed girl said. She then shifted her attention to the other girl. "Care to explain how you misplaced the special bait? I thought the coordinates I sent you was the location you were supposed to harness the energy, not in the middle of the city."

"I-I'm sorry Rosie. I didn't really pay attention back then and-

"Save it for later. We need to eliminate that thing before it causes anymore casualties." Rosetta interrupted. Sasuke planted a firm hand on her shoulder, to which she turned her head slowly and glared with deadly eyes at the Uchiha. "Remove your hand."

Sasuke was unfazed by her cold, piercing gaze since he returned it with full force. "Special bait? If I'm assuming correctly, is this bait you speak of attracted these monsters?"

"So what of it? She said, deadpanned. Sasuke's grip hardened.

"So then you're the one responsible for all this. How are you going to atone for the lives lost here?" He said. The bi-colored haired girl whipped Sasuke's hand away from her. She then smashed the back of her fist against a wall, crumbling the structure in an instant.

"Atonement? Don't you dare judge me with your crass self-righteousness!" She yelled at the Uchiha. "Who are you to question my ways? Listen and you listen well, I'll make this very easy for you: either you stay here and I squeeze the life out of you or you get the hell out of here and hopefully that other Menos will bury you six-feet under. What's it gonna be, Uchiha?"

In all honesty, there was nothing Sasuke wanted to do than test her theory but there were more important things at the moment. "We'll settle this later!" He declared. He took one last good look at her and then flew off towards the great hollow.

"That... went well." Inomari said, earning a disapproving glare from Rosetta. "I'll shut up now."

"Good."

* * *

The first thing that sent warning bells to the Uchiha was the devastated land. It was a construction zone so the land was already raw to begin with but the constant ravage done by the Hollow flash created holes to which Sasuke knew it would never be stable enough to be built on. Backed up against a torn off trunk was the patrol guard that usually guarded Kurakara Town. On closer inspection, fear seized the Sharingan-eyed Soul Reaper when he saw that half of the patrol guard's body had been blown apart. Flesh barely hanged from his lower back and blood continuously spilled. Sasuke went to him with a false sense of hope that the man would live through it.

"Hang in there!" He cried out to the Soul Reaper. He was tempted to ask him if he was okay but he felt that it only serve to patronize the patrol guard who was at death's door. His eyes locked with his and a weak smile crept up his cheeks.

"Ah... it's you. We finally... meet face to face." He said, each word sounder feeble as the last one. "I've... I've always wanted to thank you... for, ugh, your hard work."

"Don't talk. Save your strength. I'll get you some help!" The Uchiha urged. The ground rumbled under them, clearly telling them both that a monster was on the rampage.

"I'm-I'm done for. I know it." Blood was coughed up and some sprayed onto Sasuke's face. "Listen... it's up to you now. Don't... let that thing... go..."

The patrol guard exhausted his last breath and Sasuke felt the body limp in his arms. He shuddered and lowered his head. "I never even got to know your name. I never wanted to know because I was simply thinking of myself."

A gentle aura illuminated the dead Soul Reaper. It's body evanescenced into myriads of bright soul particles and dissolved into the air. A single particle remained and fell into Sasuke's hands and then disappeared. Another earthquake reminded the Uchiha there was no time to grieve.

But there was unquestionably time for vengeance.

"_Hadō #31: Shot of Red Fire!_"

Sasuke conjured his own dense mass of heat into his left palm and then fired the projectile. It hit the vast hollow square in the face. It stood immobile from the attack and when the black smoke dissolved from the air, there was but a tiny scratch on the Menos' ivory mask. The ineffectiveness of the demon art only serves to enrage Sasuke even further. He bolted towards the monster and whipped out his blade.

"Die!" He shouted, slashing the black body of the Hollow. It cut deep but the wound quickly closed up. "What the hell?"

The Hollow backed up a step and then kicked the Uchiha. The latter rolled out and crashed face flat against the granulated earth. He looked up and saw a foot above him, ready to crush him underneath it. Sasuke lifted himself up quickly and used shunpo to save himself. He then aimed a finger at the hollow's head.

"_Hadō #4_: _Pale Lightning_!"

The pure white beam of electricity shot forth but the attack failed to go through the Hollow's head. In retaliation, the Menos prepared its own Kidō-based technique. Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration. Attacking the lower body worked but the high speed regeneration negated the effort and any attempt at its hardened mask made only chipped dents. He had counted on the white lightning's piercing power to go through but if that failed, what could he do?

On the other side of the battlefield, Sasuke could sense that the humans he met also were still fighting the other Menos Grande. It served no purpose to worry about them, seeing how Rosetta had demonstrated her physical prowess with only a fist. Right now, he had to concentrate on his own fight.

Sasuke rose high up, avoiding the lethal blast. He decided to focus all of his spiritual power into his blade and then swung with all his might at the hollow's head. The impact ricochet the Soul Reaper onto the ground once more. He quickly looked up to see if his attack had any effect.

The Hollow appeared to be dazed and then it fell, crushing the rest of the arborous region. Sasuke lethargically got up, weighed down by his own labored breathing. The Hollow wasn't moving at all. With each step, the swordsman hoped that the creature had been defeated once and for all. When he got close to the body, Sasuke felt apprehensive to his own hope.

Why wasn't the Hollow disappearing?

The one in question abruptly got up. Sasuke was paralyzed with utter disbelief. He had put all of his being into that strike and yet the Menos was still alive and well. In the place of where it had been attacked, a single crack was located on its forehead. The pseudo Soul Reaper kneeled in despair. Was this the reason why the patrol guard died? Was the Menos really impossible to beat?

No, there was still a chance. All he needed to do was get Urahara here. Perhaps if he was there, he could defeat the beast. He would be able to put an end to the madness. He could-

_Listen... it's up to you now. Don't...let that thing...go..._

The words echoed through the raven haired man. He could only imagine how hard the patrol man had tried to defeat the Menos and now he had left the task to him. Sasuke might not have known his name but he knew the other man's deed and dedication to protect the humans. And what about his own oath? Was he ready to deny his reason for existing?

Sasuke looked at his sword and then rested his forehead against the flat side of his blade. '_I'm not just asking you but I'm also asking myself for help. If there's anything I can remember that will help me kill that thing, please, please let me remember it now!'_

"PLEASE!" Sasuke roared to the heavens.

* * *

_It was the silver haired man he had seen in his memories. He and the man were on a mountain, training for an event. The silver-haired man had just finished showing his technique to the fledging._

_"Look here Sasuke. I know you're a genius so it shouldn't be too hard for you to master this technique. You've seen it before, right? I refined it and named it the Raikiri, but before then, it was called..."_

* * *

The Hollow shot its malevolent cero at the Sasuke. Immediately, the Uchiha's hands were moving faster than his own eyes could see, creating hand seals at intervals. His reiryoku flowed from his hand, to which it transmuted into radiant, sparkling electricity.

**"CHIDORI!"**

Sasuke's soul leaped from the ground, cutting across the energy blast. The sensation of his skin being torn apart from the heat didn't stop his conviction; rather it only fueled his anger and the electric current that speared through the cero.

Sasuke felt like he was going to be pushed back but his eye made contact with the deceiving pure-colored mask. With one final push, he shot his right hand through the Hollow's forehead, in the exact spot where it was cracked. He watched the massive creature going down for the count and then felt his consciousness give way to a mostly welcomed slumber. His body precipitated to the ground and out of the blue, a figure swooped in and caught him inches before he could hit head first. Once they both landed, the figure smiled proudly.

"Good work Sasuke. Koizumi Takuya can rest now." Urahara Kisuke said before handing the unconscious body to another figure.

"Thanks for your help. I'm sorry this happened." he said to the sandal-hat man.

"No need to thank me. Remember, friends help each other out when in need. Call me if there's anything."

"I will."

The man dropped Sasuke into the limo and then entered from the other side. Kisuke watched as the limo drove away and then looked at the other ongoing problem.

"I guess there's nothing wrong with evening the odds." He mumbled, as he raised a hand to the direction of the Hollow.

* * *

_Sasuke's eyes opened. He found himself standing in the__ familiar cloudy, ethereal landscape once more, the skies unchanging and the horizon as endless._

_It didn't take long for Sasuke to recognize the dream-scape. The emptiness of the dimension, with the pale clouds as its only companion always seemed to give the feeling as if nothing existed yet life breathed at the same time._

_He looked up saw the pristine white dragon-horse creature swimming in the clouds. Lightning danced around every inch of its body passing through. Sasuke wanted to fly up there and see the creature for himself but he found himself unable to do so._ _He then heard a familiar voice in his head, the same voice that spoke to him the first time he came here._

_"I'm not ready for you? Why?"_

_He then saw the cloud-like beast kneeled before him, giving Sasuke its undivided attention._

_"You still can't hear your name? But I've already told you, it's..."_

_The creature shook its head, as if it were ashamed._

_"You think it's because I don't remember? You say that if I remember your name, you'll finally be able to hear it?"_

_The dragon-horse nodded with gleaming silvery eyes, giving the impression that it was happy._

_"I understand. When I finally remember your name, then whatever is up there will come down and meet me."_

_The creature dissolved into thin air, rejoining with the heavenly ruler. Sasuke's eyes brimmed with determination._

_"I'll definitely remember who I am. And… thank you for helping me back there."_

* * *

The Soul Reaper woke up in a bed that was not his own, a gigai that wasn't his own and a room that wasn't his own. He stood up brusquely, and then came to notice his usual faux-body get-up was changed to a simple white t-shirt and black khaki pants. He frantically searched for his soul dispenser and did not found it on himself. He made an attempt at forcibly ejecting his soul from the gigai but it proved futile. Sasuke took a deep breath and examined his surroundings.

The room had no windows. Its walls were a dead white and there was only a steel-plated desk. A wall mounted LCD screen was planted right beside a phone. The most important part for the Uchiha was the door to which the Uchiha immediately went for. He was welcomed with an empty white hallway and he went for the closest door.

Sasuke was not prepared for the sight before him.

On the surface, it resembled like a mega-mall; there were transparent glass floors and elevators, escalators, info desk and a food court. Sasuke headed over to the info desk to speak with the receptionist.

"Where am I? What is this place?" he asked. The woman examined him from head to toe and then smiled.

"You must be Uchiha Sasuke. Welcome to ANBU University. Hold one moment." she said warmly. Her hand picked up a phone and dialed some numbers. "Mr. Tatsumiya? This is the reception desk. Uchiha Sasuke is here. Oh, ok, I'll tell him that. You're most welcome." She then returned her attention to him. "Someone will be picking you up in a minute, Uchiha-san. I ask that you please wait patiently."

Sasuke was not interested in waiting. All he wanted to know was how he got here and where was the exit, to which he asked the counter girl.

"Mr. Tatsumiya said you would say that. This is why he wants to meet you in person so he can answer those questions. Please wait patiently, Uchiha-san." she said again with a disarming smile. Sasuke sighed and decided to survey once more his surroundings.

There were several shops, one of them being a bookstore, a gift store, a computer centre and food joints. All sorts of people walked in and out, from the kids with their school bags to middle-aged men sitting and working on their laptops. The lady had said the building was called ANBU University so it was safe to say it was an educational facility. However, something didn't feel right. It could've been due to the all black attire personnel who were stationed strategically at different parts of the building. The only difference between them and the four others he met before was that they wore sunglasses. Government agents within a school? Sasuke had never been into one but he was positive that those people were not regular staff.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" A deep, sombre voice said behind him. He turned to meet an equally young looking man, perhaps no more than twenty years of age sporting the same apparel of those in black. A slight modification would be the turtleneck jacket that covered up to his nose.

"You are...?" he asked cautiously.

"Abuzame Shinomura." He answered. "The boss would like to see you now. Follow me."

Shinomura led the anxious Uchiha to an elevator, to which they rode to the last floor. The doors opened, revealing a uniformed white colored hallway. Such a stark contrast between the dark suits and the snow-designed environment made Sasuke all the more cautious to who he was about to meet.

They stopped at glossy, glass-like black door, to which the man in black bowed formally. "Through here, if you please."

Sasuke hesitantly turned the latch and walked in. The room was an equally pristine white, save for two art pieces, wall mounted to each wall. A long, oval table with several seats suggested the room to be a place of meetings.

A man was standing in front of the glass wall with hands behind his back. He turned and met with the Uchiha.

"Uchiha Sasuke, nice to meet you." He said. The man looked like he was in his mid-twenties. He had sharp, blond hair with two red-cloth tied bangs ending at his collarbones and his eyes were as blue as a clear sky. He wore a long, red, multi-coattail jacket, buttoned with silver buckles. "I'm Tatsumiya Redomaru. Just call me Red."

"What is this place? How did I get here?" Sasuke asked. Red grabbed a seat at the edge of the table and welcomed Sasuke to do the same. The latter would've preferred standing up but at the other man's instance that it would be a long discussion, the Uchiha sat down apprehensively.

"This is ANBU University, a school funded by my company ANBU Corporation. This private institution has programs in advanced physics, biology, chemistry, micro-genetics and paranormal science. Anyone who graduates from this school can be assured that all employers within Japan will instantly recognize the company name. Except maybe paranormal science, to which those who acquire this diploma applies within my company. What was your next question?"

"How did I get here?" Sasuke asked quickly.

"You fought a Menos Grande, killed it and then you were falling to your doom when Urahara Kisuke saved your butt. He then relinquished your unconscious body to me, to which I brought here and healed you. That special gigai you're wearing accelerated the process too."

It seemed with every word Tatsumiya spoke, it added seeded another question into the Uchiha's mind. "Wait a second! How is it that-

"I told you it was going to be a long discussion but before I start answering all of them, I need to show you the _other_ side of this school. You'll understand better when I explain what I really do and why I brought you here." he said with a grin. He got up and headed for the exit.

"I'm not going anywhere until you answer my questions." Sasuke declared, to which Red blinked in puzzlement and then laughed heartily.

"Don't be so anal. Look, I understand that you're anxious and maybe angry but there's no reason to be so rigid. Just relax and let me do the talking. Think of it as class in session, okay?"

"Hn." Was all the Uchiha said before he got up himself.

"I'll take that as a yes. Let's go!"

* * *

_Soul Society, Eight Division, Private Quarters of Kyoraku Shunsui_

"So, what happened?" The flamboyantly-dressed captain asked. His straw hat was covering his face and he was laid languorously along his couch.

"The covert operation was cancelled." Ukitate said, prompting the man to sit-up straight.

"Why?" Shunsui asked. The ill-ridden man coughed and then cleared his throat.

"The Kidou Corps caught two Menos Grande on their monitoring system. Just before Genryusai-sensei could dispatch is own secret unit, Central 46 issued order to the tenth division to take care of the Menos." Jushiro explained.

The other captain raised a curious brow. "Doesn't that usually fall to your division to take care of Menos when they attack the living world?" Shunsui queried.

"Usually it is but I no longer have a vice-captain and in addition, the patrol guard who Rukia replaced a day ago died in the altercation. That guard serviced the tenth division." Ukitate answered.

"Oh boy..."

"It doesn't end there. I just received a report that both hollows were eliminated before the tenth division dispatched their own troops. When they got there, all they could do is have the Kidō Corps repair the damage done by those beasts."

"And any sign from our Sharingan-friend?"

"Nothing obviously. There's no one in the tenth division who knows of Uchiha Sasuke's existence, any less remember him for that matter." Ukitate said. "It looks like we'll have to lay off the search for awhile because Central 46 is beginning its own investigation as to who were the ones who eliminated the Hollows."

"Then that means..." Shunsui trailed, allowing his friend to finish for him.

"Yes... they'll be sending the _Onmitsukido_."

* * *

Basement thirteen, fourteen, fifteen… the numbers displayed on the elevator's screen continued to increase with every floor the elevator passed. Sasuke occasionally stared at the same tall man who seemed oblivious to the wait.

"What? Is there something on my face?" He asked nonchalantly.

"No… its nothing." The raven-haired man said. In truth, there was something about the CEO he couldn't place. Not a sense of familiarity but rather a feeling of déjà vu, like he had met the man at least once before. Maybe he had seen him on an advertisement or on the streets. He was sure he had seen the man somewhere, he just couldn't place the place and time he did.

They stopped on the twenty-third floor of the basement.

"After you." Tatsumiya said with an amicable gesture.

Sasuke had read a few espionage-themed books and the twenty-third floor seemed to have come out of one. Giant monitors with graph bars, radar schematics and computers. Dark suits at their desks full of paperwork. Test tubes being analyzed by lab-coat workers.

"This is the real face of the _ANsatsu Senjutsu Tokushu BUtai_Corporation, or ANBU for short. This place serves to eliminate superhuman threats as well as otherworldly ones to the world." Red explained to a glazed-eye Sasuke. "Have you heard of the crimson star-fall that happened years ago?"

"The what?" Sasuke asked, eyes still budging at everything his orbs could see.

"Sixty years ago, on an aurora borealis night of March, red rocks fell all over Japan, causing an estimated four billion yen of damages and racking up a death toll over one twenty thousand people." Red stated and then prompting the Uchiha to follow him. "It caused great distress over the country, many calling it a sign of times. Religious leaders claimed it was the apocalypse and God had decided to bring judgment upon the sinners. Military leaders were convinced that it was a third attempt at world war. It was a really popular belief at the time so many fell for it as well. Good thing the Japanese government kept its head on its shoulders and had begun to investigate the catastrophe."

Sasuke followed the CEO into a room. Redomaru fished out a storage device from his coat pocket and inserted it into a laptop that was on desk. He then propped open a closet to which he withdrew a projector and then set-up the machines.

"You're probably wondering where I'm going with this and what you have to do with all of it. Trust me on this when I tell you that you have a connection with what I do." Tatsumiya said. He flipped off the lights and activated the machines. On the wall, a map of Japan with circled areas was shown.

"Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan's four largest islands were struck by those rocks. The Japanese government sent its emergency medical technician teams, putting the areas under quarantine and sending the corpses to be given special autopsy examinations. After five years of on-going research and examinations, they found nothing. The dead bodies were attributed to the collapse of destroyed buildings and the areas that were isolated had been uselessly quarantined because there was no traces of radioactivity or any form of infest energy or whatsoever. This only served to fuel the radical change in religious belief, superseded by a man named Tatsumiya Arashi. That man was my father."

The CEO let the information sink in the Uchiha's mind before he continued. "Ten years later, the government somewhat dropped the affair, calling it a natural disaster. Around that same time, a series of arson-related crimes struck the Greater Tokyo area. The man arrested there was then sent to a top secret imprisonment facility, and then was rescued by my father. What he knew about the arsonist was something that no one would believe until he came up with Project M. The arsonist, under careful supervision showed he could create his own flames, without any need of a flamethrower or any thing akin to that. Suffice to say that my father used this opportunity to reveal there were more people like the arsonist, just with different powers. He then created this public facade building to lure in people with abilities. However, what he wanted really wasn't people with abilities but rather this."

Tatsumiya withdrew from his other pocket half a red sphere. He then went to his desk and took out a red shard from the drawer and stuck with the sphere. The crimson dome absorbed the shard as if it always belonged together.

"This is the secret my father kept from the government: the origin of the red rocks that caused nationwide destruction. Each person with abilities had those within their body and no matter of machinery could detect those things from their bodies...except others who were affected by them." He said to an astonished Uchiha. "My father wasn't one of those people but he had enough spiritual awareness to sense the shards within other humans. He gathered them together and had plans to overtake the government and then use his 'super' army to invade the rest of the world. Sounds like a bad fiction but it was true. It was true because I was the one who ended my father's life and took over his company. Project M, which originally stood for _metsu _or destruction was given by me a new name: Project M, for Miracle. With the company and this secret organization, I reshaped the goal of our company and dedicated myself to finding others with special powers and have them use it for good or eliminate them if they refused to be persuaded to not cause harm to others."

"That's… quite a story." Sasuke said, having no faith in what the CEO said. The latter picked up on the Uchiha's disbelief.

"You've met my agents before, right? The clandestine dark suits of my company. I can assure you they were most human and-

"Those people are working for you?" Sasuke asked, remembering instantly the bleach blonde and pink girl.

"Yes they are. They-

"So this is your idea of having your agents using their power for good, like using bait to attract those Hollows?" Sasuke angrily said. Tatsumiya face became solemn.

"I'm sorry that happened. It was not the way I wanted to have you come here. I didn't know of it until after I saw the attack." He said. Sasuke sensed his sincerity and calmed down a bit.

"You show me all of this because you're hoping I'll join you, right? There are two problems with that: for starters, I think you know more about me than you let on and secondly, you still haven't told me how I'm related to all of this."

"So if I satisfy those conditions, will you help me?" Redomaru said with hopeful eyes and a beaming smile. Sasuke instinctively backed away a bit. There was something seriously disarming about that face, as if it could get anyone to do anything. Urahara had a face like that as well, but it seemed more of a blackmailing kind of smile.

"M-Maybe." The Uchiha uttered.

"Then hold out your hand." Tatsumiya said. Sasuke did so and the CEO dropped the scarlet dome in his palm. It brimmed vividly, lighting the shaded room. "I've had everyone who held special abilities hold this thing but it never reacted to any of them. Only to you, it does that."

Sasuke was entranced by the brilliance of the dome-shaped gem. Tatsumiya took it back and they were once again plunged into darkness, with only the projector's light illuminating the room. "I've seen this before."

"I'm pretty sure you have, because it's swirling through your body as we speak." The blond man said, startling the Uchiha. "Soul reapers have their reiryoku flow through their body just like blood does. I can sense yours all over you but only because its so close to this gem. It's very possible that you have a shard in there and-

"It's a sphere. But I'm sure I saw it disappear." Sasuke said. The CEO was mouth agape at the discovery.

"A sphere? Then what Urahara said was right then..." He muttered. This did not pass by the Uchiha.

"Now is a good time as ever to tell me how is it that you know of Urahara, Hollows and Soul Reapers. How did you know I was one? And-"

"Breathe Sasuke. I know of Urahara because he's my business partner." Redomaru interrupted. "I delegate the non-dangerous investigations to him and in return, I fund his shop. Oh, and do I need to remind you I'm spiritually aware of supernatural affairs just like my father was. I know about you because Kisuke sends me monthly reports on the clients he helps. Your name came up and so did what you really are and what you could do. That's why I had the intention of recruiting you for more… dangerous stuff."

"Then you've wasted your time. I can't use my powers when I'm in a gigai... which by the way I can't get out of." Sasuke said.

"That's not a problem. This faux-body you're wearing is special. "Oh really? And what would that be?" Sasuke asked with a skeptical look.

"Reiryoku flows from a spiritual core. This form of energy draws from the soul and living cells. The gigai's also been modified to use this special form of energy to hide oneself from other people who can sense spiritual pressures." Redomaru explained as he lit up the room.

"That energy... is called chakra."


	15. The Recurrence of the Investigation

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

Author: Gawd, Bleach is totally going to drag this on, huh? I'm not going to try and spoil it for those who support official release in English adaption, but I can tell you that Bleach latest chapter just makes we wanna go "Kill that ****** already! Its like, "oh no, he can't see me use my power!" and then "I have no choice, I have to use it" and then "holy crap, we just added an expansion set to our latest fighting manga: The Vizard wars!" Someone please end it already!

**"Go end yourself, moron."**

Author: Sasuke? I thought I told you to shut the hell up already. While you're waltzing your way in Konoha with the Four Hokages, Naruto's getting bitch-slapped for you.

**"Not my problem."**

Author yells to GF: Go get Sebastian.

**"Who the hell is Sebastian?" **

GF returns with a .36 winchester gun: What did you think it was?

**"I'm a living soul. I can't be killed with a gun, dumbass."**

Author looks at gun, at Sasuke, at gun again, and then at Sasuke unsheathing sword: Yo-yo, Sasuke...calm down. I was joking. I wasn't going to shoot you, honest. Oi, put that sword away! Don't come any closer! AAAACK!

* * *

**One Year Later…**

A shadowed cloudy sky paled the full moon in a nefarious fashion, as if it was hiding it from the world. The fugitive also wished for that secrecy but its assailants were not giving him any time to breath, although a part of him also loved the thrill of being chased. Who would come out faster in this game of speed: him or those arrogant fools in the dark suits?

"Are you done yet?" Inomari asked with her common hint of giggles through her wi-fi radio.

_"If I wasn't done in the last sixteen seconds you asked me, what makes you think I'd be finished now?"_ Shikabane growled. _"Just shut your hole and let me finish the troublesome plans."_

"Fine, fine, don't have to be so snarky." Inomari said. "How's your end, Chousuke?"

The bulky kid raised a large, expanded fist and struck the ground, leveling the terrain. _"Done. He won't be able to run through that normally. He'll just have to take another road."_

"Which should lead to Sasuke-kun. Awesome!" Inomari shrieked.

_"Are you always this happy, woman?"_ Shikabane asked, obviously annoyed.

"If I wasn't, I'd probably be on pills and try to cut myself everyday." The blonde said in a perky voice.

_"Oi... I don't think that's something you say so casually."_ Chousuke said. _"Ah! He just saw me and bolted the way he came. Shikabane, please-_

_"Done! Activating simulated program number 337."_

If any of these dark suits thought they could catch him now, they were mistaken. He would just keep on running until-

A police barricade? He hadn't even heard the sirens wailing; much less see any police cars in so many numbers blocking his route. There was no choice: he would have to run the way back and then hopefully, the cops hadn't blocked the free path he had seen before.

_"He fell for it! That idiot actually fell for it."_ Chousuke yelled through the microphone ear piece.

_"Don't get too excited. Now it's up to Sasuke to finish this. I really don't want to go home and get chewed by the she-devil."_ Shikabane said.

"She's not a she-devil. She's just... really scary." Inomari said, sounding weak.

_"Same thing."_

* * *

He felt like he was running faster every second. Perhaps the fear-induced adrenaline pumped his legs with more energy than usual but he was grateful for it. What he wasn't grateful for were the barricades of police cars at almost every turn. He knew something wasn't feeling right. It was almost as if they forced his path to come to-

A dead end and that's exactly were he ended up. The exhaustion fans released their dirty air through the pitch-black night. There was only but the dim, neon lights that bounced off the asphalt to help his vision. That and a pair of crimson eyes were getting closer to him. When they got into his range of vision, he could see the tall, slender figure of a shadow clothed in a black trench-coat. The only well seen clothing would be the white shirt and silver buckles that strapped the stranger's shoes.

"Surrender peacefully and we won't have to hurt you." The figure said.

"Why are you after me? I haven't done anything." He said. It was a lie but at this point, he would tell anything to get out of this mess.

"Over thirty-six stores hit with robberies. All cameras replaying an exact same event: only a blur flashing through the store and then leaving in less than thirty seconds and that's only the reported crimes on the news. Assault, home invasion... tells me something: how did you think it was going to end?"

The sinister figure began walking forward, his crimson, _tomoe-_ridden eyes glaring towards him. There were only two options available to him at that point: fight-or-flight?

"Screw this!" The perp said, running backwards. He was prepared to climb over these police cars if he had too when his hand went right through them.

"We have a problem. He figured out they're holograms. You better have a plan B." Sasuke said, not even bothering to look backwards. He hopped on his motorcycle, turned on the ignition and rode off.

_"Please tell me you got close enough to get the shard's signature."_ Chousuke said.

"Transmitting the energy sample now." Sasuke said, taking his own red shard and putting it inside a device. "Shikabane?"

_"Plan B was already done completed a long time now. After analyzing his movement pattern, he should arrive at the location I'm sending you now. Don't worry about him escaping this one: he won't be able too. All you gotta to do is get there before he literally walks out of there."_

"Roger that."

Sasuke was doing at a hundred and eighty kilometers an hour. On city streets, it was considered suicidal but for Sasuke and his Sharingan, it was nothing. He passed through cars like it was nothing at all and then he arrived at the destined point. Like Shikabane predicted, the criminal was there, running like any normal obese man.

"What the- What the hell did you do to me?" He raged. Sasuke withdrew from his trench coat a black scabbard. The acute sound of metal sliding was not unheard of by the speed-enhanced runner.

"That's Shikabane's shadow restraint technique. It covers a small area and it slows down one's foot movement tremendously. The only reason why you can walk and run like any normal human being is because of your ability. Anyone else would've seemed like they were attempting to imitate slow motion."

Before the fugitive could take another step, Sasuke pointed his blade right in between the man's eyes. "Your crimes are not evil per se but it's only a matter of time before you do something irreversible. I'm offering you one last chance: surrender yourself to us and reform or surrender yourself to _them_."

And by 'them', the Uchiha referred to the real sirens wailing. "They're going to have fun cutting you open and see what makes your legs tick." He added for dramatic purposes. The speedster felt his legs give way and fell to the ground.

"All right, all right, I give up. Just don't let them find me."

* * *

"You're telling me this fat sack of shit is the blur we've been studying and tailing for the last five weeks?"

"Yes."

"Jesus Chr-

"Language!"

"Whatever."

Sasuke, Shikabane, Inomari and Chousuke were in the main hall with the perp in arms, showing him to a mostly belligerent Rosetta. She was clearly disappointed with the captured criminal and most of them could understand why she would be.

"Another win for the Ino-Shika-Cho team," Inomari squealed and then looked at Sasuke. "With the addition of Sasuke, of course."

"Hn." The latter responded.

"Take him away." Rosetta ordered. The four were about to head to the detention unit when she called out to the Uchiha. "The boss wants to see you."

"Why?" Sasuke asked. Redomaru was an incredibly busy man, as the raven-haired agent saw for himself. Time was of the essence for the man and he usually let Rosetta, his second-in-command to run things here in the real ANBU Corp Division.

"How the hell should I know?" Rosetta snapped. "If he wants to see you, it's because he has a good reason for doing so. I'm coming with you so you better not give me any lip about it."

"I wasn't planning to." Sasuke lied. Despite looking almost indifferent to anyone, the Uchiha always had a kick at seeing Rosetta throwing a fit. Sometimes, it even seemed that she was more ridiculous than the perky Inomari.

After taking two elevators, they arrived at the meeting room Sasuke had first met Redomaru. He was seated at the edge of the oval table, to which he prompted the two other agents to sit.

"You wanted to see me, Red?" Sasuke reminded the CEO. The latter beamed a grin.

"Look at this." He said as he withdrew the red gem he had shown Sasuke a year ago. It was nearly complete, with only a dent of shards to complete the sphere. "It took so many years to collect half of this sphere and yet, in one year, we're almost done."

"You're giving Sasuke too much credit." Rosetta complained.

"She's right." The Uchiha agreed, confusing the half pink, half bleach-blond haired girl. "I recognize the importance of working in teams. I can't say that I initially thought it was a good idea but without Shikabane, Inomari and Chousuke, I-

Sasuke was interrupted by Rosetta's forceful throat clearing. "...and Rosetta, I wouldn't be able to do as much as we can do now."

Redomaru's playful eyes danced from one agent to another and then clapped his hands. "Bravo! I didn't think you two would get along but I guess I stand corrected."

The sun-like haired man stood and put himself in between the two agents. He then wrapped each arm around the two. "The three of us are going to bring good change to the world, I'm sure of it!" He said, grinning.

"Redomaru!" Rosetta and Sasuke said in unison.

"Heh heh...just like old times..." Redomaru whispered.

"What do you mean 'just like old times'?" Sasuke asked, confused by his employer's statement. The latter gave a hearty laugh.

"Oh... I meant, um, like that time when Rosetta and I used to have another close to us, right?" Redomaru said, looking at Rosetta. She gave a weak smile.

"Y-Yeah..." she mumbled nervously. Sasuke wasn't entirely convinced with their retorts.

"What happened to him?" He queried. The nervous duo's faces became grim and the Uchiha could sense internal agony from the two.

"He died." Redomaru answered, backing away. Sasuke was not prepared for such a revelation.

"How did-How did that happen?" he asked.

"That's none of your damn business!" Rosetta snapped. She then turned to Tatsumiya. "If you have nothing else to say, then we'll be leaving." She said, grabbing Sasuke's arm and dragging him across the exit.

"Wait a second!" Redomaru yelled. He equally stepped out of the room and called out to them. "Sasuke, Urahara wanted to let you know it's safe to see him again."

The Uchiha stopped, rendering Rosetta immobile as well. "Really?"

"Yes. Special Forces stopped looking for you six months ago. He just waited the other half of the year to make sure that they weren't still snooping around." Redomaru revealed.

"Then.. .I'll take the day off tomorrow." Sasuke decided, to which the agent's leader grinned slyly.

"Had already clocked you off Sasuke. Take as many days as you need." Tatsumiya said. Sasuke nodded and the brought his attention to the cantankerous woman.

"I'll be going then." he said.

"I don't care. Get lost!" She said, whipping Sasuke's arm away. The latter saw her stomping off to Redomaru's direction, and then left for his home.

* * *

At the university's lobby, Sasuke saw Inomari sitting on a bench near the water fountain, eyes closed in reflexion. The young man thought that he shouldn't disturb her so he tried to walk past her quietly.

"I know that it's you Sasuke. You're the only one with a blank mind." She said, lifting an amused eye. The Uchiha stopped, curious as to what she was doing here by herself.

"I'm taking a breather." She said, closing her eye again. "The water fountain's noise clears my mind. Kind of like when people listen to white noise when they want to remove an annoying never-ending song in their head."

"I see." Sasuke remarked and oddly decided to sit down beside her.

"You're bothered by what Tatsumiya-san and Rosie said, huh?" the blond girl said. Inomari was a telepath. She once described reading someone's mind was like reading a novel: they came in different genres and ratings. Some minds were frightening, others constantly buzzing with different ideas. Once, Sasuke had made the mistake to ask the sixteen-year old girl why her face was so red, to which she replied word for word "I read a really hot and steamy book."

"Do you... know something about those two?" Sasuke asked. What he really meant to say was if Inomari read some secret that only she would know. The girl let her head hang backwards, as if she wanted to hear the water better.

"It's impossible. I tried reading Redomaru's mind once and he has the mental defense of a ten foot brick wall. Rosetta is much scarier. She actually has a persona inside her that actually kicked me out. I'll never forget that night when I tried going in her mind while she was sleeping." She then put a finger on Sasuke's head so then he could see what she remembered from that night. Inomari and Rosetta shared a room but they slept in different bunk beds. Sasuke could see the back of Rosetta's sleeping head. It then turned very slowly to face him and his eyes locked with her eyes.

They were colder than usual, like sharp daggers that could stab someone's soul. _If you ever try reading my mind again... I will break your bones until they come out of your flesh._

"Scary, isn't it?" Inomari's said, her voice bringing the Uchiha back to reality. He felt trickling from his head. It was cold sweat from sheer terror. His heart raced uncontrollably and he found himself short of breath. "As a telepath, I can make people experience my fears as well. I like Rosie but that night, I felt like she was really going to do it if I tried doing it again. I even peed a little on myself, to tell you the truth."

So it had been Inomari's fear he had felt then but he had to admit as well, that stare had enough blood-lust to destroy the mentally weak. Sasuke let out a breath of relief and then stood up.

"I don't usually show this to people but I also wanted to let you know that sometimes, there are things that are better left forgotten. If I could forget that night in an instant, I would. Maybe you should try it too." Haruka Inomari said, ascribing to Sasuke's amnesia.

"You maybe right but you have you're entire being flowing in here." Sasuke said, pointing to his head. "Having a blank mind like I do can drive you insane sometimes."

"Point taken. Have a goodnight Sasuke." She said.

"You too, Inomari." Sasuke said. He then took one last look at her, realizing that it was the first time he had seen a serious side to the usual upbeat girl and then left the building.

* * *

"What was that all about?"

"..."

"I thought we made a pact together. I didn't expect you to almost blow it."

"..."

"Answer me, Redomaru!"

"I'm sorry."

A terrible silence dwelled on the rooftop of the building, an uncomfortable silence as ominous as the darkened horizon that resembled an infinite abyss. Redomaru's back faced Rosetta, a sign of cowardice he noted. Rosetta lips quivered and her fist clenched.

"Stop hurting yourself, Redomaru. Those days are long gone. He's long gone. The Sasuke you knew, that we both knew, is not the same anymore." she said.

"He will be, in time." Redomaru said, deadpanned.

"He doesn't even know-Redomaru, even here, on this rooftop, we're not using our own real names. What makes you think he's going to remember us? Even if he does, you're a completely different face." Rosetta almost yelled.

"I know. I just... for a moment, I was happy, that's all." He said, closing his eyes in reminiscence. Rosetta clenched her teeth.

"Redomaru! He doesn't deserve our help! He doesn't deserve _my _help. I'm only doing this because I want to make _you_ happy but if it's like this, then I don't think I can-

Redomaru whipped around and grabbed her hand. He then pressed his lips against hers, making her body rigid with even greater tension. He released his forceful embrace after he saw her tears falling. "I need you by my side on this one, Rosetta. No, I mean-

Her finger went to his lips, stopping him from saying her real name. "We cast our true identities aside a long time ago. I only agreed because you wanted to, only because I thought it would make you happy. I would do anything for you… but for Sasuke..."

Redomaru frowned. "You never told me what really happened after _that_incident. I understand you're angry with Sasuke but there's this rage I can sense within you, even after a year of working with him, you still look at him with those hateful eyes. Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I can't and I won't. What happened after the two of you disappeared is my problem to deal with. Maybe I'm selfishly blaming Sasuke for all of it but it was because of him that you were taken away from me too. I will never-

Redomaru hugged her tight, letting her head rest on his bosom. She began to cry quietly, her tears dampening his coat. "Enough! I won't ask of you anymore. I just want to let you know that whenever you're ready to tell me, I'll be there to listen."

Rosetta didn't say anything but she was reassured by his words. They held on to each others anguished souls, the nightly abyss shrouding their bodies.

* * *

Sasuke parked his vehicle near the bicycle stand and then headed within the apartment complex. He walked up the stairs up the to the sixth floor and then walked to his apartment door. After a brief jumbling of keys, he unlocked the door and went in.

The Uchiha's apartment wasn't anything grand, just a trendy bachelor unit. It was affordable even for a regular university or college student. The monthly rent barely made a dent in Sasuke's paycheck so he was able to afford many things that most would have to save up for months before getting them. His fully customized Road King was one of them and that had been it. Anything else was just food or rent, and other amenities.

Sasuke plopped down on his bed, fatigued by the routine of dangerous work. It had been a long time since he had time for himself like this. Day after day, the company he worked for dealt not just with superhumans but at other times, paranormal activities such as demon exorcism or slaying, taming vengeful spirits or randomly killing hollows too if they were in his way. There were even mundane assignments such as escorting political leaders to certain locations because they were targets of superhumans or taking on crime bosses. As he would eventually find out, ANBU corp was sent do to all sorts of dangerous or extreme jobs all over Japan.

Speaking of superhumans, these people were classified into two groups: anomalies and naturals. Anomalies were people who were present and near red rocks when they fell on the islands while the naturals were humans who harbored the shards within their bodies. Sometimes called the 'sharded ones', these people exhibited stronger powers than the anomalies and were more difficult to detect, so strong their powers that they compensated what they naturally lacked. The clear example tonight was Fujibayashi Jotaro, a very obese man who housed a shard that allowed him to move at extreme speeds. Had he been an anomaly, he would've moved at half the speed he could exert now.

Sasuke looked at his watch and saw that it was getting really late. He would put off his self-cleaning ritual for tonight and do it in the morning. A full year had passed and the last time he had tried heading to the Urahara shop, Soul Reapers dressed like ninja patrolled the area heavily. It was thanks to the specially made gigai that they were not able to sense his reiryoku. As he had learned from Redomaru, Soul Reapers had trouble sensing living souls or humans for that matter, which could be the reason why they were sometimes too late when they got attacked by Hollows.

His eyelids grew heavy and with one last blink, he fell into deep slumber. With his reunion tomorrow and the nearly completed crimson sphere, Sasuke truly felt satisfied.

"I really need to get more clothes." Sasuke muttered to himself as he looked at his closet. Only a handful of generic business shirt and pants hanged from the pantry. The Urahara wasn't exactly the best place to sit in office attire but that was all the Uchiha had so he wore it, grabbed his helmet and then left his house. Just then, he recognized a familiar face.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun."

"Morning, Mrs. Arisawa."

The two had first met three months ago by chance. Sasuke had recently rented out the apartment but never spent much time in there and to the lady's surprise; she never knew there was someone living next to her until that moment.

"Going to school today?" she asked.

"Finished my exams yesterday so I'm taking the day off." The raven-haired man told her, which was partially true. Redomaru had insisted on Sasuke getting an education even though the former had contested that he was educated enough about the living world. The CEO countered that in the real world, nobody cared about ghosts learning stuff in their own time unless it was proven on paper and so, Sasuke had reluctantly taken his studies in paranormal studies. To regular people, Sasuke was studying psychology.

"Ah, I see. I'm taking Tatsuki-chan to the pediatrician today." The lady said, moving to the side in order to reveal a little dark-haired girl in hiding. "Since the clinic isn't too far, she'll be waking there a little bit."

"I see. Please be careful." Sasuke urged quietly. Karakura was relatively safe but to someone like Sasuke, it always felt like one had to watch his back.

"I will. Have a good day, Sasuke-kun." She said.

"You too, Mrs. Arisawa." The Uchiha said as he headed to the stairs first.

* * *

It had been nearly an hour's drive when the Uchiha noticed he was one street away from the Urahara shop. He parked his bike, paid the meter and trekked along oak-tree side field pedestrian path. The leaves were beginning to fall and with a hint of regret, Sasuke knew the end of summer was near. He had been so focused on his job that he kept refusing almost every form of extra-curricular entertainment. _Sasuke, you big idiot!_He could remember Inomari yelling when she and many of her friends invited the brooding Uchiha to the beach. Just as he was about to make a mental note to take the upbeat girl out next time, he bumped into another person.

"Oh, sorry." He said, and then quickly realizing with unprecedented anxiety who he had bumped into.

It was a Soul Reaper.

"Sasuke-san?" The voice said as it turned around to see him. Sasuke's eyes widened in recognition

"Kuchiki Rukia? What are you doing here?" He asked, completely surprised at her presence. A drawback in Sasuke's special gigai was that he had difficulty sensing spirits, including Soul Reaper. Only his Sharingan allowed him to see them from a mile away.

"My goodness... Sasuke-san, is it really you?" she asked. She then placed a palm on the man's chest and then drew it back. "It _is_ you. I thought you had died."

"Why would you think that?" The Uchiha queried, looking at her from head to toe. She hadn't changed a single bit. Even if she had grown an inch, he wouldn't be able to tell. Still the same petite, cute, dark-haired Soul Reaper with big, dark purplish eyes.

"I haven't seen you in over a year. I was beginning to think that either you were extremely good at hiding or you had vanished off the face of the earth." She said.

"You were looking for me?" Sasuke continued the game of twenty one questions.

"Of course I was! I honored my promise but unfortunately, the timing of the investigation fell right at the moment of the Menos Grande incident. The commander-general had to postpone his search for you when Central 46 issued the order to find whoever had done in the Hollows. They stopped six months later and then the _sotaichou_ resumed from that point on. After the searches proved unfruitful, he began to question if I was either lying or hallucinating the whole thing so he ordered me to find you myself. He thought that if there was a familiar face, perhaps you would come out."

Sasuke backed away at the last piece of information. The commander general of Soul Society was looking for him? That sent a red flag across the Uchiha's mind. "I thought you said you would investigate the matter privately."

Rukia's eyes fell on the leaf-ridden ground. "I did. I mean, I wanted to but my captain took interest. Apparently, your importance to him had me subjected to secrecy on the pain of death. Even Central 46 does not know of the _sotaichou's_ private investigation."

The amnesiac man let Rukia's entire revelations sink into his mind. He looked over her and groaned inwardly at the closeness at which he was to the shop. "If your commander-general is looking for me, then I'm assuming that he knows something about me that even I don't know. You wouldn't happen to know what that is, do you?"

Rukia shook her head. "The only thing I know is that not just him but three other captains, including my own, seem to know about you and that they too are sworn to secrecy on pain of death. Anyways, now that I found you, you can come with me to Soul Society and we can have the whole thing sorted out."

Now it was the Uchiha's head to shake lightly. "That's not going to be possible."

"What do you mean?" The soul reaper queried.

"I'm walking my own path to remembering myself. Even if I am connected to Soul Society, the road that leads to my memories lies within the human realm. I can't go with you." Sasuke said.

Rukia frowned. "You don't understand. This is your chance to avoid a direct confrontation with the elders. If the commander general has his own private squad looking for you, its most likely that he too wants to share something with you. Think about it. There's really nothing that stops him from revealing your identity to Central 46. Since he has lived for over two thousand years, it's very certain that he must know something about you, something that he won't share with the elders that have lived just as long as he did."

Sasuke didn't say anything, pondering the female Soul Reaper's words to which she added more. "Do you not you get it? It is because of him that Central 46 doesn't know that you exist yet. If they did, then they would most likely redouble their efforts into finding you."

"I'm happy he's doing this but I can't go there yet. Sorry but tell him that he will have to wait a little longer." Sasuke said as he walked past an angry-stricken Rukia. The former whipped around and grabbed his wrist.

"There's no more time. Central 46 may have stopped their search for whoever was responsible for the events of a year's past but someone's bound to notice something wrong with me being here on a constant basis. Leave your gigai and come with me."

Sasuke wrathfully moved his hand away from her grip. "It can't be done! I won't be swayed, nor distracted by anything else. Leave me be!" Not long after he took three steps away from her did the Uchiha feel Rukia's reiatsu in motion. Before he had time to react, a red, flame-designed gloved hand went through him. Instantly, he felt himself being evicted from his faux body. His original samurai-esque clothing garbed his body, something he hadn't seen in a long time.

"The first time we met, I remember telling you that Soul Society's law is swift and merciless. If they find you, they will not commend you for slaying two Menos Grande. They will investigate you and then should they find that you are a renegade, they will execute you. The commander-general knows something about you that is why he won't reveal the knowledge of your existence to them. If he did not know or cared, do you think it would have stopped him from doing so?" Rukia said, her eyes gleaming with resolve. "We may have met for only a day but I know that no matter what I find out about you from the past, the person you are right now is a good man. You will come with me Sasuke-san, even if I must hurt you."

Rukia had uncovered her blade during her talk and pointed it to the other soul reaper. Sasuke could feel her spiritual pressure permeating the air, letting him know that there was no escape. He held up a hand in retreat.

"Rukia, put away your sword." He said to her. She lowered a bit and her hawk-like gaze softened.

"Then… you will come willingly?" She asked hopefully.

"No. I simply don't want to fight you, that is all." The Uchiha said. Rukia hardened her facial features and repositioned her zanpakutou.

"Then I cannot concede to your request. I do not want to fight you either but I will not let _them_ have their hands on you without a say." She declared. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to raise your blade against me?" He asked skeptically. Rukia was unfazed by his question.

"We may be friends, but our bonds aren't strong enough to hold me back from even doing this." With that said, Rukia flash-stepped behind Sasuke. He hadn't even registered the movement when he felt a sharp pain across his arm. He looked at the red stain on his white sleeve and then turned around to see a trickle of blood falling from the soul reaper's blade tip.

"I hope you will forgive me when I will hurt you to the point you can no longer move." Rukia said, looking back with the corner of her right eye. Seeing how she was dead serious about the whole affair, Sasuke whipped out his zanpakuto.

"Then I hope you will forgive me too when I will do the same." Sasuke declared, activating his bloodline limit. His reiatsu rose as well, equaling his newly-formed adversary.

"Uchiha Sasuke, defend yourself!" Rukia roared as she lunged forward, the resolve of her sword coming down upon the Uchiha's own conviction.

* * *

_Next time on Transcending bonds, the final chapter of the__** Halcyon Days Arc:**_

"So that is it then?" Rukia asked.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Are you just going to give up because of a single mistake? What happened to the vow you gave a year ago? What happened to charging head on, to accomplish what needed to be done to remember?"

"I..."

"The oath you made to your soul, are you going to abandon it?" Rukia said, her voice rising.

"I..."

"ANSWER ME, UCHIHA SASUKE!"

_**Preview End**_

_**Author's Note: **__ To anyone who has read the original, I'd like to ask you a favor. For the purpose of writing original chapters where Imperialpatty left off, I'd like to know your thoughts regarding what you believe he had planned for the characters, as well as who you believe certain characters are. Seriously, I'd like to know so I have a firmer foundation on what I should be writing. _

_I am continuing the story, yes, but this is something I believe all of us, as readers of the original, should have a part in. Yes I am talking about you** Danish78**._

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	16. The End of Uchiha Sasuke's Halcyon Days

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

* * *

Metal slammed against one another; quick series of strokes and parries that looked like flashing lights to the naked eye. Blades of grass flew in the air, being ripped off from the ground with every swing.

Evade, block, parry, and strike: like a mantra that both Soul Reapers executed with utmost perfection.

And yet, Sasuke was on the losing end. Rukia's thrusts and quick executive slashes were always one beat faster and, by far, much more precise. Thin grazes that marked his cheeks, arms, chest, sides and legs were proof to such claim. Rukia, however, hadn't been touched even once. Even with the Sharingan to aid him, Sasuke could plainly see the gap of power was barely close to closing between them.

"Hyaah!" The girl roared with a jumping slash. Sasuke blocked the strike, the force of the attack sending wind flying below him. He pushed her back and went in for a counter strike, but the Soul Reaper quickly parried and with the snap of her wrist wounded the Uchiha, leaving a long and straight cut along his sword arm. He stopped cold in his tracks and found himself kneeling in front of her.

"I recall your _reiatsu_ being stronger than this when we fought together against the hollows. What happened?" She asked- no demanded from him, eyes fixated on her target which was he. The female Soul Reaper was right, Sasuke thought. Since they started fighting, he had quickly come to realize that he wasn't up to par in his attacks. Even his _reiatsu_, his spiritual pressure, wasn't as strong as it once was before and was slowly crumbling before Rukia's own _reiatsu_.

Rukia's eye's narrowed ever so slightly. "You... you became satisfied with your way of living, haven't you?"

"What?" Sasuke said, unable to understand.

"A Soul Reaper becoming accustomed to the living world is an overture to the decline of one's spiritual power." Rukia explained as if quoting a book. "You claimed that you were staying here because you wished to remember your past, but are you sure that's the case? That you are not just fooling yourself into wanting to believe that you yourself desire to become part of this world?"

"I... O-Of course not." Sasuke stammered.

Rukia pressed forward, sending an overhead strike down upon Sasuke, who barely managed to bring up an effective block. "Just now you hesitated! You are not even sure of yourself anymore, of your own desires. Perhaps… perhaps you do not even _want_ to recover your past!" The female Soul Reaper broke off and came down with yet another strike, this time form the left. The Uchiha's Sharingan caught the movement and darted back, avoiding the steel of her blade by a hair.

His eye's widened when he caught another movement made by the female Soul Reaper; he could do nothing as he felt Rukia's _reiatsu _right behind him, with her zanpaktou only half an inch away from his throat.

"Give up, Sasuke-san. Not only have you grown weaker in spirit but also in mind. You have allowed yourself to deny what you really are and decided to walk the same path as the humans. You've allowed yourself to become complacent and hide away your desire for your past, satisfied with living a lie! Drop your blade and come peacefully with me… or I'll…"

He did not need her to finish her sentence. Sasuke could feel her intent as one could feel their clothes.

Sasuke lowered his sword in defeat. It wasn't the situation that demanded it from him to do so, nor the accumulated injuries he had suffered from Rukia's zanpaktou, but rather… the effect the Soul Reaper's words had on him had finally taken its toll. Had he really become habituated to his way of living for so long? His job at ANBU, his co-workers, his newfound life; had they all been the result of being able to fully live like a human?

Everyday at ANBU Corp meant one more possibility at regaining his memories, that was true enough, but Sasuke could not remember the last time when that was his top priority. There was even a time when he couldn't recall why he was doing everything he was in the first place: searching for answers to who he really was.

And yet… that had lost its importance as his time in ANBU continued. Everyday he spent together with everyone at ANBU his desire to reclaim his past had dulled significantly.

Had he become… had he truly been… _satisfied_?

The Uchiha's _reiatsu_ dropped considerably, allowing Rukia's to slowly begin to overcome him. His will to fight her was becoming lost. If he wasn't even interested in his own desires, in finding out who he really was, than what was the point? What was the point of everything he had been doing up until now?

What was the point of fighting Rukia?

"So that is it then?" Rukia asked.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, truly at a loss.

"Are you just going to give up because of a single mistake? What happened to the vow you gave a year ago? What happened to charging head on, to accomplish what needed to be done to remember who you were?"

"I..."

"The oath you made to your soul, are you going to abandon it?" Rukia said, her tone quickly rising.

"I..."

"ANSWER ME, UCHIHA SASUKE!"

Sasuke closed his eyes, allowing the dark emptiness of his mind to be filled with the memories and feelings of every person he had met during the last five years of his life in this plane of existence. There were so many faces, so many encounters; he could recall their hopes and dreams, their happiness and sorrows, their laughter and their pain.

Urahara Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta and Ururu…

Redomaru, Rosetta, Inomari, Shikabane, Chousuke and everyone at ANBU…

The priest of the temple, the old lady who helped him out for his morning breakfast problems…

Osuma the rebel from Soul Society, the patrol guard who died to protect Karakura Town…

His vast loneliness from before and his new friends…

He and Kuchiki Rukia.

And…

"_**What do you see beyond your blade…"**_

Sasuke's Sharingan glowed.

_"Chidori Nagashi."_

Electrical currents streamed from the Uchiha's body, catching Rukia off guard and forcing her back away from him. His_ reiryoku_ flowed once more, his _reiatsu _coming back with more life and power than it had ever before, throwing off Rukia's completely. He looked at the palm of his hand and the blade of his zanpaktou, watching the electrical currents dance all around his person.

This was it.

This was the strength Uchiha Sasuke had had a year ago.

"No... This is the strength of everyone who opened themselves up to me, of everyone who let me witness what their own power could do in the strife and obstacles of life." Sasuke declared fervently. "This is the power of all the bonds I've forged!"

He turned. "Rukia!"

The Soul Reaper recomposed herself, still feeling the nasty sensation of the jolt's after effects and also of the crimson eyes now poised down on her like a hawk. "Y-Yes?"

"The path that I'm walking... it's not the path of the Soul Reapers nor is it the path of a human." He pointed directly at himself with his thumb, his Sharingan glowing with newfound power from his _reiryoku_. "It's my own, after living both sides for the longest time! I've come to realize that in the end, we're all connected. Whether both camps may be separated by the longevity or the shortness of life, we all strive to make the best of our own worlds with what time we're given."

And then, something miraculous happened, something that Sasuke thought he would never be able to do for a long time: He smiled. He gave Rukia his first and only genuine smile. A truly happy and completely unrestrained smile. Rukia had always tried picturing what Sasuke would look like if he had smiled from time to time, but it always came out wrong, awkward, or it just stopped at an arrogant smirk.

To see Sasuke give her a smile instead of a sad or anxious look… affected her in ways she could not, or rather did not, comprehend.

"I'm satisfied, I can admit that now. But it's not with the life I was living as a faux-human or what I am doing now… but with me as a person and my choices in life."

Rukia could not help but give him a small smile of her own, a sense of relief washing over her. "I understand. Then, let us finish this."

Sasuke brought up his blade. "Yes."

Rukia, using her free hand, made movements that conjured a condensed mass of yellow energy in her palm. "Way of Binding no. 4: Crawling Rope!" She sent the blast flying, a pulsing energy talking shape of a golden rope to Sasuke. The energy latched on to his arm just like a rope and constricted it behind him, leaving himself open for an attack.

She used _shunpo_ to get close to him and struck horizontally.

'_I can see…'_

Sasuke's Sharingan caught the movement of her blade; he twisted his blade and struck up, parrying the attack just in time to defend himself. He could see the dismay in Rukia's eyes as he continued to parry her attacks with such precision he did not have previously until he had freed himself from her kido-based spell.

With his other arm now freed, Sasuke countered and struck back with an air-cutting horizontal slash that forced Rukia back. He did not relent and proceeded to launch his own series of thrusts and quick slashes.

The tables had turned, with Rukia being on the losing end. She could barely avoid the expert strokes. The decisive end of the barrage came when Rukia thought she saw an opening. She went for a thrust, deliberately avoiding the vitals. Sasuke planted his sword on the ground, stepped to the side and pushed the arm away with his palm. He then placed his leg behind hers and then rammed his arm across her chest, successfully tripping her. He then put the weapon-wielding hand into submission, removing her zanpakuto from her grip. With three small backing jumps, he now had his blade and hers in his hands.

"Why is that every time we meet, your sword ends up in my hand?" Sasuke quipped with an arrogant smirk. Rukia gritted her teeth in unadulterated dismay at how Sasuke managed to remove the blade. The latter firmly sunk both soul-cutting swords into the ground, both a foot deep.

"Your proficiency in hand-to-hand combat must be very minim, considering how easily you trapped yourself into the most basic of sword counters." Sasuke quipped. One more look at the girl's stance brought a smirk of superiority to his lips. "This suits me well. I don't feel good knowing I have to gut you to get you out of my way. I don't feel good at beating you either but if I have to choose, then it will be the lesser evil."

In a blink of an eye, Sasuke was already towering over Rukia. The former threw a strong fist at him, to which he naturally dodged and retaliated with a quick palm thrust to her abdomen, forcing a mix of saliva and air out of the Kuchiki. He then whipped to her back and then karate chopped her neck, throwing her into a temporary state of vertigo. Before she could fall, Sasuke wrapped his arm around her neck and completed his sleeper hold.

"Don't worry, you'll just fall asleep." He whispered into her ear softly. Rukia wasn't about to just give up yet. She struggled to get one arm up to head level.

"Way...of Binding no... 8: Repulse!" She cried out the last word, creating a round shield that made contact with Sasuke's arm. He was knocked back a few feet away from the coughing Soul Reaper. Just as he was about to rekindle his actions, his body would not obey his will.

"This, ugh, binding spell repels and paralyses the target." Rukia said in between coughs. She had almost lost this fight but thanks to her last-minute effort, not only she was free of his hold but she was able to get her sword back. "Sasuke, a good soul reaper knows how to compensate what he or she lacks in battle. My _hakuda_skills maybe not up to military standards but I can't say the same for my kido."

"Well, you're going to have to do something quickly before I free myself of this paralysis." Sasuke said. "Bringing my head to the commander-general isn't what I call a completed mission."

Rukia smirked confidently. "I don't want to risk a new binding spell I've been studying under my brother so I'll have used the next best thing." She said, taking a hold of her soul slaying sword. Her _reiatsu_ began to rise and her blade began to shine. "This is where you and I differ, Uchiha Sasuke. If you had wanted to win when you had your chance, you should have released your zanpakuto."

"Release?" Sasuke repeated, confused.

"_Mae, Sode no Shirayuki._" Rukia held out her sword the blade turning a pure-snow white color as she turned it counter-clockwise. The tsuba became a hollow snowflake-like circle and a white ribbon formed from the pommel from the end of the handle. An airy ague rushed in all directions, forming a light, scintillating mist.

"Judging from your reaction, you have no knowledge of a zanpakuto's _shikai_or first release. Achievement of the shikai is the mark of the control over one's zanpakuto and by having it, it boosts one's abilities and, or power." With that said, Rukia flash-stepped with more range and speed than before towards Sasuke. "This is my victory. You can rest assured that I will restrain the freezing, killing power of Shirayuki to a bare minimum." She then held her blade upside down and chanted her technique.

"_Some no Mai: Tsukishiro."_The blade glowed a wavy white color. Rukia made a slashing motion. Sasuke saw the ground glow with a blinding light and felt the acute chill beneath. The range of the circle was quite wide but if he could break out of the paralysis, he would be able to evade it. He mustered an opposing spiritual force and freed himself from his bonds. He began to run when he heard the faint voice of his adversary.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Way of Biding no. 9: Strike!"

A red aura completely lavished over the Uchiha, rendering him immobile. Ice drew forth from the circle, completely freezing Sasuke from the earth all the way to the heavens. A lone pillar of ice stood erect, defying the season of warmth. Rukia eyed the white tower with a hint of remorse. She had wished things could've gone peacefully but the Uchiha had chosen to defy logic. He would survive at least.

Against Rukia's firm reasoning, in more ways than one. Cracks formed like mingled branches and the structure began to rumble, finally giving way. Rukia could feel a tremendous burst of _reiryoku_ pulsate from the pillar, crumbling it into large ice blocks. The frosty air shadowed the figure propping itself from the chilling rubbles, only the Sharingan being visible through it. The figure emerged from the light mist and then plopped to the ground on one knee.

"You... were right. _This_... is clearly... the difference... in our strengths." Sasuke panted. He managed to get up and trudged in Rukia's direction. The latter stared wide-eyed at the Uchiha in complete astonishment.

"How did you-How is that possible?" Rukia stammered. Sasuke stopped to inhale and exhale deeply.

"You underestimate yourself. Didn't you say so yourself: that I could rest assured that you would restrain yourself. It was only because of your choice that I was able to expend nearly all of my _reiryoku_ to blast away this ice coffin." Sasuke said, walking past her. He then picked up his sword that had remained firm into the ground. He lifted it up, and then pointed it at Rukia. "I see now. A released zanpakuto is very unique. Although I could probably replicate its powers because they are kidou-based, I would only be able to muster only half its effectiveness... and that's without the elemental status behind."

He twirled his blade in a stylish fashion before retreating it into the sheath. "I remained in a gigai without ever exerting my spiritual self for an entire year. I temporarily lost myself and you opened my eyes. I was overconfident and yet, you outclassed me." Sasuke took one final breath and then crossed his arms. His crimson eyes receded to their common, lustrous black. "I can't even muster up energy to activate my Sharingan again. This is indeed as you said your victory."

Rukia was slightly mouth agape. "Then..."

"I will come with you as you wish." Sasuke finished for her. Rukia smiled, and dropped her spiritual pressure and Sode no Shirayuki returned to its unreleased state. Out of the blue, both soul reapers heard a lone clap of hands. They turned to the intruding person: it was Urahara Kisuke.

"What a sight! Two Soul Reapers dueling at their finest. Really, it was rather touching." The shop manager said, pretending to wipe with a handkerchief his fake tears. Rukia's body went on red alert. The exile raised a hand in resignation.

"Don't worry; I'm not here to take Sasuke away. Besides, it's not like he would agree, right?" The sandal-hat man said in his usual jovial tone. The Uchiha did not respond in agreement but rather had a favor to ask of his old employer.

"Urahara, tell Redomaru... thanks. For everything. I'll pick up that crimson sphere one day." The Uchiha said.

"Will do, Sasuke-kun. Anything else?" The man eyed the raven-haired soul reaper playfully. The latter smirked.

"Yeah... my bike's parked down the street. The keys are in the gigai. Take care of it for me while I'm gone." Sasuke said and then groaned in annoyance. "I might regret this but... thanks for helping me out."

Urahara pumped a fist into the air. "Yes! I finally got him to say it. Ha! Tessai owes me big time!" He said, cackling. Sasuke sighed. That man was never going to change no matter how much time would pass. Rukia crept up and to the Uchiha and asked him to put his hand together. She casted the crawling rope spell, binding his hands together.

"Sorry, but its going to look strange if I bring you there without any form of restraint." She said apologetically.

"I don't mind. Let's just do this." Sasuke said, resolute. Rukia nodded in response. She rose her zanpakuto solemnly in front of her and then made a perforating motion in mid-air. She then turned the sword to the right.

"Unlock!"

The very air bended into a dimension portrayed by two _shouji_ doors, revealing an infinite amount of light. Two black butterflies flew through them, hovering over the Soul Reapers.

"You can open the _senkaimon_even without being a vice-captain?" Urahara asked, adding a whistle in mocked amazement. Rukia looked at him with a corner of the eye.

"It just has temporary permission to do so." She said and then faced Sasuke. "Let us go."

The Uchiha nodded. He took one last look at the man who ignited his life and then walked into the light.

* * *

_I can't remember how long we've been here in this strange new world that closely resembled our own. There were a few things we didn't recognize but it was definitely close to ours._

_Oh wait, there was one thing clearly missing: war._

_I can't remember the last time since I smelled the rot of sin, the rot of decay, the rot of death. Can't say I miss the putrid smell. It was like a mixture of rotten, worm-eating compost and fresh excrement._

_My chain itches. I can't tell what day is it. I want to ask someone but no one hears me. No one can see me._

_I look at the eyes of my companions. She's scared. He's feeling guilty. And me? I just feel empty on the inside._

_"Will anyone come to save us?" I keep screaming in my head. I don't want to say what everyone's thinking out loud. It would hurt me. It would hurt them._

_It rains, it snows, it gets warm and it gets cold. The seasons go on, completely ignoring out plight._

_And then finally, we are seen and heard. He was cloaked in dark robes. My first impression is that of the grim reaper._

_But there's no soul reaping scythe. His head looks completely human. He doesn't even look a tiny bit menacing._

_I guess that's a good thing. I'd hate to see an actual grim reaper cause then I'd probably poop myself._

_It'd look uncool in front of her. He'd probably have a field day with it._

_The man in the black hakama smiles and tells us everything's gonna be alright. He withdraws his sword._

_What the hell? Does he want to kill us?_

_No. All he does his stamp our foreheads with the bottom end of his hilt. What a jackass._

_Oh, wait. What's this light? It feels really good. I see her face. It's been so long since I've seen her smile._

_I see his face. He's got that unfazed look on his face again. Forget the dude in black, he's the real jackass._

_The man says something to us. I can't really hear it well but I could've sworn he said Soul Society._

_Oh well, who gives a damn. I'm just happy I'm not in chains anymore._

_Excerpt from the Tales of the Gallant Soul Reaper_

* * *

_Always thought the fight between Rukia and Sasuke was underdone for some reason. I mean it is the last battle in the first Arc, yet it didn't really get me hyped up like I though tit would when Imperialpatty first introduced it. Probably because of the grammar.  
_

_Anyways, I got things started off rather well. We'll be introducing Sasuke to the Soul Society next, where past readers will once again be able to experience the OCs which Imperialpatty so expertly crafted for Sasuke's own development. _

_Gonna be a fun ride from here. Already can feel it. _

_See ya, homies._

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	17. The Absence of Truth and Lies

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

* * *

**_Shinōreijutsuin – Spiritual Arts Academy, Conference room six weeks later_**

With hurried steps across the hallways of the prestigious Soul Reaper academy founded by none other than Shigekuni-Yamamoto Genryuusai, Commander-General of the Court of Pure Souls, over two thousand years ago, the teachers of the first and second class faculty to gather at the meeting room for their monthly session. This particular meeting focused on budget expenses as well as revision of the curriculum assigned to both class ranks. After half an hour of deliberation, the meeting then turned to soul reaper advancements.

"We have six nominees for the second rank class to advance and three demotions. You may designate one spokesperson to represent your cases." The chairman said. After a brief murmuring, two people rose and advanced forward.

"Second class representative may go first." The chairman said. The spokesperson-a female Soul Reaper-cleared her throat and started.

"We have one definite candidate; two requiring further examination and the three others are in the balance. They are..." The teacher described the first five candidates, nearly taking twenty minutes to do so. She then moved to her first pick with great pride.

"We, of the second rank class educators, deem Uchiha Sasuke fit to be placed in first rank classes effective immediately. He excels in _Zankensoki_: zanjutsu, unarmed combat, movement and kido. He notably has perfect scores in all four areas and high scores on soul reaper aesthetics and military tactics. His astounding ability to learn and understand at an unnatural speed could make him the next young child prodigy since Hitsugaya Toshiro to complete the curriculum in the least amount of time. His only weakness could be perhaps his _reiryoku_ capacity: it is a little above the norm, however, it radiates with an unparalleled potency, which happens to be a good component for prospects of joining the kido corps should he ever wish to do so."

The chairman and other delegates conferred between themselves in inaudible chatter and upon finishing, the chairman brought his attention to the first class rank representative.

"We agree with the decision of the second class rank. The final say goes to you." he said.

"I agree with the second class rank decision. We welcome the opportunity to work with such talent."

The chairman and delegates nodded, and then moved on to the second part of the meeting. "And now with the demotions. Who do you..."

Sasuke looked at his altered _shihakusho _– the garment of dead souls – with a slight distaste. Since he could not wear his preferred clothing, they had modified it by coloring it black and removing the red and white fan on the back. Not wanting to lose this important piece of his fractured memory, Sasuke had the emblem tattooed on the back of his left shoulder. He placed the Soul Reaper uniform in small duffel bag and then put on the academy's uniform.

"Sasuke, I heard the news. Congrats!" A familiar voice said behind him. It belonged to a classmate of his in his short stay in second rank classes.

"Hey Ryuuji." The Uchiha said indifferently.

"Man, you've only been here for over a month and now you're gonna bunk with some other big shot." The hyper kid said. Sasuke didn't bother to respond. As far as he knew, everyone here in the academy was an acquaintance, or more accurately, they were _supposed_ to remain acquaintances, as clearly decreed by the commander-general six weeks ago.

* * *

_**Seireitei**_

_**Court of Pure Souls – 1st Division, Private Meeting Chamber, six weeks earlier**_

_Sasuke stood with Rukia at the center of the room, surrounded on both sides by very powerful individuals, who Rukia had explained were the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions. On his left were Captains Kyoraku Shunsui of the 8__th__ Disivion and Ukitate Jushiro of the 13__th__ Division, Rukia's very own. On his right was Unohana Retsu of the 4__th__ Division. Seated in front of him was the person the Uchiha was mostly intrigued to meet: Commander-General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai. Despite his decrepit disposition, Sasuke knew there was more to the old man than met the eye._

_The room was quiet, with all eyes on the__sekki-sekki-soul reducing stone-__handcuff-bound Uchiha. He could see behind their poker face, the startled quivering of their pupils. Rukia had been right: these four people knew something about him. The white-haired man was the first to break the silence._

_"Can you please state your name?" he said. Sasuke knew the man already knew and deduced that it was probably just for record's sake._

_"…Uchiha Sasuke." he said, eyes fixed on the__sotaichou__. The white haired man conspired with the flamboyant one. As for the single-braided woman, here eyes were closed in deep reflexion._

_"How long have you been in the Realm of the Living?" The old man queried._

_"Five years, two months, three days, ten hours and twelve minutes." Sasuke said accurately and then added "That's only as far as I can remember. I might have been there longer."_

_The aged soul reaper's hand caressed his long beard. "And that's all you can remember then?"_

_"Yes." Sasuke said. It was hard to say if Genryuusai bought the answer but there was really nothing for Sasuke to hide about._

_"Who did you meet while you were there?" He asked to the fatigued Uchiha. The latter seemed hesitant at answering the question. _

_He glanced at Rukia, who nodded at him with a small smile and then he replied earnestly. "I met Urahara Kisuke, a shop manager as well as an exile of Soul Society. That's all I know."_

_There was another murmur between the two men and this time a causal glance from the 4__th__ Division's captain. The Uchiha was starting to feel annoyed by the whole thing so he piped up. "Is there something I should know?"_

_"Such as..." The Commander-General probed suspiciously._

_"Anything relevant to me. I'm under the distinct impression that only the four of you know something about me. Kuchiki Rukia told me about the thirteen captains who operate the military factions of Soul Society, yet there are only four of you here – four of you which I assume are under the oath of secrecy." Sasuke said eyeing the four captains, watching for even the slightest twinge or brake of their neutral expressions. There was none. "What is it about me that cannot be told to the rest of the captains?" _

_Sasuke then narrowed his eyes as if he was preparing himself for a dark revelation. "Is it really… that terrible?"_

_Stern eyes were fixated on the Uchiha, save for Rukia's. She threw glances at both camps and a small fidgeting of her body allowed a drop of blood from her injuries to fall on the floor. Retsu was the first to notice._

_"Commander–General Genryuusai, we should treat these two first. Their spiritual energy is already at their lowest and because of that, the healing of their wounds will not actuate." Unohana said, and then eyeing meticulously the raven-haired soul reaper. "Especially for Uchiha Sasuke. The sekki-sekki stone is becoming a heavy burden on his body. He will collapse at any moment if he does not get treated soon."_

_Genryuusai pushed an annoyed suffocated sigh. The wise aged man descended from his decorated seat and approached the Uchiha until he towered over him. Sasuke felt as if the old man's gaze was skewering him alive and at the same time, reading right through him. Had the most powerful man in Soul Society retreated to his seat afterwards, Sasuke would've sworn an eternity had passed under his scrutiny._

_"That is not Uchiha Sasuke." he finally said, causing the said subject to recoil internally at his words._

_"W-What do you mean?" He asked urgently. The__sotaichou__threw a knowing glance at his favorite disciples and then in turn they nodded._

_"The Uchiha Sasuke we thought we knew is nothing like you." Ukitate said. Shunsui nodded with a lowering of his straw hat._

_"__Yare yare__, here I was getting goosebumps but I think it's safe to say we got the wrong guy." He said with a grin. "With that said, I'll be leaving for my afternoon appointment with my Nanao-chan at my favorite sake bar."_

_The ivory-haired man threw a disbelieving mocking glance at the captain. "Why do I find it hard to believe that Nanao-san would actually be willing to go through with that?"_

_Shunsui began to head out, followed by Jushiro. "Don't worry about it. I'll just tell her I have a surprise or something likewise and besides..." The two captains were out of earshot, leaving a confused Rukia and Sasuke behind in their wake._

_The wrong person? What in heaven's name did that mean?_

_"Is there another Uchiha Sasuke?" Rukia asked for the bewildered man. "It just doesn't make any sense, I mean-_

_"Silence!" Genryuusai ordered. "As of this moment, the investigation concerning Uchiha Sasuke is over. Any more questions will be subject to reprisal. Unohana-taichou!_

_"Yes?"_

_"You will bring these two to your barracks and have them treated. Also, release the seki-seki stone upon Uchiha Sasuke and when treatment is over, place him in one of your detention cells." Genryuusai declared._

_"Why? What have I done to-_

_"Quiet." The old man barked. "The detention cell is a temporary placement until we can have you transferred to the academy. Since you are here, you will be of service to Soul Society. While you're there, you might as well try to remember something. If what Kuchiki Rukia said about your feelings of being connected with this realm, then perhaps it will come to you naturally."_

_Sasuke gritted his teeth in hidden fury. "So then… you really know nothing about me? Nothing at all?"_

_Genryussai lifted his eyelids slightly. "Nothing."_

_Sasuke dropped to his knees in exhaustion and in the despair of his disbelief of what had just transpired. He had been misidentified and in addition, no one, not even the leader of the soul reapers knew anything about him. "Then… allow me to return on earth. I was-_

_"It cannot be done." Genryuusai said._

_"Why?!" Sasuke almost screamed._

_"Because you have all the predispositions of a Soul Reaper. A soul-cutting blade able to purify Hollows, the ability to cast the demon arts, excellent unarmed-style of combat and good application of movement skills-all of these are undeniable traits of a Soul Reaper. You will attend the academy to reinforce those basic components. You will give your all there but you will refrain from drawing unwanted attention upon yourself. Any friends you make must remain at acquaintance level to draw questions of you're hereabouts away from you. There will be no returning to earth unless you are ordered to. Do not push the issue any further or risk being disciplined, understood?"_

_Sasuke could not help but being mouth wide agape at the commander's orders. All of his expectations had been crushed in mere moments and to add salt to the injuries, his free will was stripped of him._

_Why had it come to this?_

_"Is that clear?" The __commander-general __reiterated. Sasuke closed his eyes in disdain. He was a fool to expect anything of soul reapers and a bigger fool for trusting one._

_"Crystal." The Uchiha replied, eyeing Rukia with anger-filled eyes. The latter's eyes looked to the floor, hidden by her bangs, in regret._

_"I'm sorry." She whispered to him. Seeing the pain in her eyes, Sasuke's stone-rendered heart melted. He took back his last thought._

_"Don't be. It's not your fault." He whispered._

'_It's mine…'__ Rukia did all she could to help. Now it was up to him to find out what these old geezers were trying so hard to hide from him._

* * *

Looking back on that day, Sasuke was not convinced entirely that they knew nothing about him. It appeared closer to expecting someone who, although fitted the description nicely, the person wasn't really what others expected to be. After all, from Rukia's earlier instances that the commander general definitely knew something about him, it wasn't logically possible to dismiss the entire affair as a mis-identity.

Sasuke arrived at the first class rank barracks, and then headed for his new room. From what he understood, first class students did not need to bunk with others, which suited perfectly fine. It would allow the trainee to move about on his own business in the academy without being questioned of his motives for doing so. He learned quickly that the higher one's rank was, the more privileges that student was allowed.

After putting his _Asauchi _– the name given to nameless blades – in the katana bag-holder, Sasuke headed for his next class. He introduced himself to his new teacher and classmates, picked the farthest seat away from the teacher and paid attention.

Classes were easy for the Uchiha. If there was anything he really learned of, it was the notion of zanpakuto's and the soul within them, more demon arts concepts and techniques and in-depth detailed history of Soul Society. His teachers and classmates were amazed at the perfection of which he grasped and applied the learning material, topping even the most proficient of soul reapers. It wasn't long before rumors of a prodigy circulated in the academy, fascinating the rest of the student body and teachers. Kido teachers called Sasuke, the "one-show, one-do" student because they only needed to show him once how to cast a certain spell and the Uchiha would replicate it with utmost perfection. The only reason why Sasuke was still stuck at number seventy of the kido spells was because that's all his spiritual energy could afford. The educator was more than eager to tell Sasuke that with more time and training, he would achieve the necessary amount to perform these high-leveled spells.

Swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat and foot techniques were completely mastered by the genius to the point where sometimes, the teacher would leave the teaching to Sasuke while they attended other matters. The Uchiha didn't mind but what he questioned the diligent nature of these educators. Shouldn't they be the one doing this instead of him?

Three months later, the congregation of first class teachers openly stated that there was nothing for Uchiha Sasuke to learn of anymore. He could still follow history class if he wanted to but apart from this, there was nothing else they could teach him. Level seventy spells and higher could be self-taught on his own and it was time to place Sasuke in one of the divisions of Seireitei. Most agreed that Sasuke would make an excellent candidate for 2nd Division, the _Onmitsukido_ and the kidou corps. An academy personnel met with the prodigy and showed discussed the collective suggestion of the teachers.

"I wish to join the division led by Ukitate Jushiro." Sasuke said blandly.

"The 13th Division? Not that there's anything wrong with it but it would seriously be a waste of your talents. That division is mostly charged with the defense of Earth against hollows. It's not work suited for one like you." The counselor said.

"I'm firm on my decision. That is the Division I wish to join." Sasuke said, partially annoying the man.

"Even so, the application must be accepted by the vice-captain or the captain of the Division. Even if you want to, there's still a small chance that you won't be accepted." He said.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. He was confident that with his high aptitude, he could get in any Division. The counselor picked up on it.

"Even if you are highly adept in all forms of combat, there still a number of reasons you could be rejected. For example, Lord Kuchiki of the 6th Division prefers selecting those of noble birth and rarely common-born souls, no matter how well they do in this academy. Although Zaraki Kenpachi of the 10th Division would welcome you, their love for blood-sport would turn you off and you would most likely try to transfer to another division, as so many applicants do the first time they join this division. I can bet Unohana-dono of the 4th Division would immediately reject your application because your report would make you seem more of a fighter than a healer. Do you understand or should I give you another example?'

The assessment of the divisions given by the counselor sounded right in the Uchiha's mind. Still, he was firm in his decision. "I see. Nevertheless, I want my application to be sent to the thirteenth division."

The counselor sighed. "Very well, we will do as you wish. However, do know that the applications are marked by priority so we will give your request the highest one and send out the others to the rest of the divisions."

"What's the difference?" Sasuke queried.

"An application given in priority means less waiting time. Usually, it means that most teachers will be giving their personal recommendations, allowing the paperwork to be processed at a faster rate. Basically, the application that will be sent to Captain Ukitate will take no longer than three months, while the others might take up to five to six and sometimes even eight months." The counselor explained.

"I see." Sasuke said. "What will I do in the meantime?"

"You're welcome to attend the history classes given in the academy as well as continue your studies in the demon art classes as well. However, since you'll be spending more free time than studying time, we'll have you become an assistant educator in zanjutsu, hakuda, hoho and sometimes kido classes. We think that it will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to teach and train others. You might even have to lead field training missions."

Sasuke perked up at the last statement. Field missions meant trips to Earth and that meant a possibility of meeting once more with the people he made bonds with. Waiting suddenly seemed like it wasn't such a bad idea.

"I understand." The Uchiha replied. "Thank you."

The counselor looked at him with a pissed off expression. "I'm quite disappointed with you. We don't merely suggest students were to go on whim; we do it because we truly believe their assets will be most beneficial to the division. With hard work and even a little luck, an applicant might find himself working as a seated officer. We truly believed that you would do better in the second division and its affiliations. Why would you want to go to the 13th Division? Is there someone you want to meet or work with? A friend or even perhaps… a lover?"

Sasuke stood from his chair and threw a bored glance at the academy personnel. "Honestly sir, and with respect, but that is none of your business."

As soon as Sasuke left the room, the counselor slammed a fist on the desk. "Cocky little bastard."

* * *

**_Bikkuri Restaurant, North Rukongai District 17_**

Jushiro and Shunsui shared filled sake cups, seated on plump cushions. The place was lively as usual but more so due to the presence of Soul Society's finest captains. Kyoraku would've had women at his side but the noble, honest Ukitate earnestly demanded his friend not to launder in such activities openly.

"Loosen up Jushiro. You're going to grow wrinkles if you're always so serious." the gaudily clothed man said.

"I have nothing against having fun but it would be more prudent if you did it in private. After all, you don't want Nanao-san to scold you after last time she heard of your wild flings." Ukitate reminded, to which the hairy-faced man laughed and then shivered.

"Oh boy, that's one thing I don't want to remember." Kyoraku said, eating a dango. "Speaking of reminiscence...what do you think of that Uchiha Sasuke?"

Ukitate took a piece of sashimi and put it in his mouth. "Hmm... it's really him but at the same time its not."

"Killer aura, omnipotent _reiryoku_, hawk-like gaze and eyes that continuously screamed murder, Sharingan or not – that Uchiha Sasuke had nothing of those. It was a good idea to follow Rukia-chan and watch them fight or else… I would've never believed that it was actually Sasuke." Kyoraku contemplated.

"Ah, you're right." Ukitate said. "Even so, I still can't believe this is actually Uchiha Sasuke. He is not even a shard of the man every one of the past knew." Juushiro said.

"I wonder what _he _would say if he could see him now." Kyoraku said, taking a sip of his sake.

"Let us not talk about this here. Remember, this is –

"I know already." Jushiro interrupted. "For now, let us drink to a potentially good-natured Sasuke."

"To change then?" Ukitate asked. His best friend grinned and raised his cup.

"To good change... and maybe a really nice-for-once Nanao-chan." he said, to which the whitehaired man laughed heartily.

"That... might take another century or two."

* * *

**_Four months later..._**

"...align your blade with oneself and strike with your all. Shaky resolve will turn your sword into dust. Do not hesitate, or you will be at the receiving end of your opponent's blade. Victory is a completed mission. True victory is completing the mission alive. Remember the difference between those two when you are on the battlefield."

"_Hai, Uchiha-sensei!"_

"That is all for today. See you tomorrow."

Classmates exited were on their way to return to the academy. Those who lingered were usually girls who cooed at the brooding assistant teacher, requiring "extra" help on their swordsmanship. Naturally, the oblivious Sasuke helped them with his stern approach, all the while unintentionally being a heartbreaker. The Uchiha caught someone with unusual clothes and recognized the type of school personnel that was advancing towards him: it was a counselor and he had some papers in his hand.

"I would like to congratulate you on your placement. You've been accepted-

"In the 13th Division I hope." Sasuke cut off. The smirk on the counselor's suggested otherwise.

"No. You've been accepted into the..." and then he whispered to Sasuke's ears the division. The Uchiha clenched his fist in frustration. He wasn't even accepted in that other old man's division. It would seem the academy had taken placement matters into their own hands.

_1__st__ Division, Shigekuni-Yamamoto Genryuusai's Private quarters._

"Enter!"

A messenger opened the shouji door. He kneeled before the commander and held out a letter. "It's from the chairman at the _shinhoreijutsuin_."

"I see. You may leave now.' Genryuusai said. The messenger bowed and left the room as quickly as he came in. The old man opened the parchment and read its content. An inward feeling of satisfaction welled up in his bosom.

"Good work Uchiha Sasuke. My interference was for the best after all. To become Soul Society's blade, you must harden and sharpen yourself first...and there's no better place than _that _division.

* * *

**Shinigami Omake**

Sasuke carefully examined the lone, long one-walled hallway that lead to the men's barrack. So close, yet so far. Once he deemed it safe, he began his trek across it. Ever since he became an assistant teacher, he met with creatures far more hostile, dangerous and obsessed than hollows:

Fan-girls.

It was as if the female student body had created a satanic cult aimed at getting the Uchiha to go out with one of them. The only difference was the lack of blood rituals and sacrifices. Then again, the idea didn't seem too farfetched for Sasuke. These girls glomped – attacked – Sasuke whenever the academy's scheduled hours was over. Sometimes, he wished he could just push one of them off the rooftop of the academy and watch them splatter on the ground like pancake.

_'Hmm… sizzling pancakes'_, Sasuke thought and then shook his head. Thoughts like these were truly unbecoming of him.

Moonlight barely added more lighting the wall-mounted candle lighted hallway. He was so close, just a few more steps and he would make it to the men's dorm.

"Ku ku ku ku... foolish _fuku-sensei_. You cannot escape us." One girl's voice said.

"Precious... your precious duckbutt hair... will be MINE!" Another one said.

Sasuke gulped. "W-Wait, let us talk about this. We-

"NEGOTIATIONS HAVE FAILED!" Another one said. "PREPARED TO BE DE-FENSELESS, DE-CLOTHED AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, DE-FILED!

Rushed steps came at full motion towards the Uchiha. At two steps away from molesting the Uchiha, moonlight shone upon him and the steps came to a grinding halt. There was a brief moment of silence between Sasuke and the oestrogen-raging triad and then out of the blue, the girls collapsed on the floor like dead corpses. Sasuke poked one of the bodies with his foot and then took a closer look at the pile of bodies.

"Nosebleeds... go figure."


	18. The Apocryphal Legends of Soul Society

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

**(* * *)**

**"The author would like everyone to know that-**

Author: Move aside Sasuke, I'll explain what's going on.

**"But-**

"Look Sasuke, nobody cares that you were gone two chapters. Just leave already. Anyways, this chapter was meant to be serious but it somehow turned to become a filler with a try at cheesy puns with three OCs that have some relevance in the story. They are:

Hatsu Bakusuke: Based off a friend of mine who I can't understand a thing he says once he starts rambling. Three cookies to anyone who figure out the wordplay in there. The hint? Well, the man _does _have a temper.

Shiori Yuusuke: An OC who has a decent involvement in this fanfiction. Won't reveal much but I can say that for me, it's going to be sad a bit

Kurumadani Zennosuke: Okay, the guy's not an OC per se since he was featured in the anime and the manga's omake. Don't remember him? Good, cause you're not supposed to.

* * *

After wearing his old set of clothes, Sasuke realized now that he was an official Soul Reaper, he was supposed to wear the shihakusho. Luckily for him, there was nothing wrong with modifying the uniform so he simply left his pants on and put the black kosode on, using his white kosode as a shitagi.

Along with him, five others had been selected to go to his new division. However, they had chosen to leave the academy the next day since they had all been in an inebriated stupor from the graduation ceremony and party celebrations. The Uchiha had only tasted the sake once and then refrained from drinking more because he wanted to be ready for this day.

Walking along the path explained to him by one of the academy's staff, Sasuke noticed how everything was nearly of bichromatic schemes: the buildings were a grey bordering on white, with yellow roof tiles. It was very unlike the Rukongai districts, which were similar to Karakura Town, the major difference would be the era-depicting aspects. As far as he knew of the districts, he had only seen those resembling the antiseptic lifestyles of the early Edo-era.

Large, steel-outlined wooden gates closed off the Uchiha's path. Two Soul Reapers at each side with spears in hand approached the newly graduate.

"Identify yourself." One of them said curtly. Sasuke withdrew his I.D. papers and handed it over to him. A minute of meticulous light reading was done and the guard returned the paper.

"Open the gate." He said to his coworker and then spoke to Sasuke. "You may proceed. Continue your path until you see the first barrack. That's were you will identify yourself to twentieth seated officer."

Sasuke gave a curt nod as he took back his papers and then went past the gates. The rustic air, the open path and the watchful eyes of other Soul Reaper standing guard on wall's edges reassured the Uchiha that he was indeed in the 2nd Division.

* * *

Brief introductions took place in his assigned barrack, involving the nineteenth and twentieth seated officer and two other Soul Reapers. When the raven-haired soul reaper queried if he would meet with the captain, a few pairs of eyes looked at him as if his brain had just malfunctioned. The seated officers explained that if Sasuke would ever meet the captain in person, it would either be if he was ranked sixth seat and higher or on a suicide mission, to which the twentieth seated officer gambled that the latter was most likely to occur. However, she promised him that with grades like Sasuke, there was more chances that he'd be transferred to the kido corps and would probably meet the captain during important missions.

Sasuke arrived at his assigned room and found two double bunk beds. He sat on left, bottom bed and then read his assignment list. It displayed a weekly meeting with the twentieth seated officer, routine patrols in specific areas of Seireitei and Rukongai for hollow presences, training sessions and menial jobs like cleaning and maintenance in the across the second division buildings. The Uchiha read in puzzlement the last chore again. According to the teachings of the academy, wouldn't the fourth division be in charge of such tasks, since they held most of the building keys, including those of every division? An exasperated breath left his lungs as he fell back. Not that any of these things mattered to him, after all, unlike other Soul Reapers Sasuke was not preoccupied with notions of career advancement or becoming the best. His oath and his goals would remain the same no matter what: assist those in danger and cure his amnesia. Perhaps his situation wasn't any different then doing jobs for Urahara or Redomaru. The only setback would most likely be that now he had no leads or more specifically, his leads were blocked by the stern commander-general and his position here. Soul reapers were not allowed to leave their assigned domain at their leisure and only those who belonged in the second division, serving seventh seated officer and lower had only two days off in the year: Christmas and New Years day. They only technical time off would by standby mode, to which wasn't making much of a difference.

"Get off my bed!" A voice barked, pumping _reiatsu_ in the room. The Uchiha's body reflexes kicked, opening two Sharingan eyes and a straight palm aimed at the intruder's neck. The latter's stress levels skyrocketed, making him sweat and his hands shake with uncontrollable fear.

"Whoah, whoah! Calm down buddy! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He said, immediately dropping his taunting aura. Sasuke relaxed, reverting his gaze back to their obsidian color. He slowly withdrew his hand away from the nervous man's neck but fixated his hawkish glare upon him. The latter let out a breath of relief.

"Who are you?" Sasuke interrogated.

"Just your new top-bunk buddy, Kurumadani Zennosuke. Sorry for startling you there but I didn't think you'd try to kill me." The man introduced himself. He sported an Afro, possessed thick brows and a long jaw line. Other than that, there weren't any redeemable features.

"This is the 2nd Division." Sasuke said in a reminding tone. The academy had ranked the division as the third most dangerous division to work in, the first being the 11th Division and the 12th Division due to rumors of Soul Reapers occasionally being used as experiments without the knowledge of Central 46. Zennosuke scratched the right side of his neck sheepishly.

"I know that but we're not in the _Onmitsukido_, man. I ain't gonna assassinate you in your sleep." The thick-browed soul reaper said in sheer annoyance.

"That's good to know. I'd hate to sleep with an eye open." Another voice said, entering the room. Sasuke looked up and saw an almost familiar face.

"You are..." He began. The light green haired, effeminate-faced, narrow, slit-eyed man looked down at the Uchiha.

"Uchiha Sasuke? So you were placed in the second division after all. I bet you don't remember me." He said with a disarming smile.

"No, no, I do remember you. You're Shiori Yuusuke. I think you were a fourth year in the academy, right?" Sasuke said. Yuusuke nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Honestly, I wanted to take the day off too before starting the soul reaper life but then I got bored so I came here." He said. "But you know, for someone like you to remember, I feel pretty honored."

"Why? The Uchiha asked.

"Wait, wait, wait… you two are fresh out of the academy? And you know each other?" Zennosuke asked in amazement.

"Sort of..." Yuusuke said. "We were both in the top of the classes, the difference was that it was my fourth year there while Sasuke had transferred there a month and half later after he entered the academy. A legend of sorts, everyone called him the 'Lone Genius of the Year'. Many tried to approach him but we were just brushed off."

Sasuke felt bad about that. It wasn't like was trying to come off as an arrogant, lonely student who appeared like he needed no one. He was simply under orders. "Sorry, I'm just–"

"Not very good with people, I know." Yuusuke finished for him. "You didn't seem happy there so I tried to talk to you but I guess I failed, huh?" He said with another disarming smile. Unlike the picture he had seen of the fox-faced 3rd Division captain, Yuusuke appeared genuine in his facial expressions, just like in the academy. "So, care to introduce yourself sir?

The afro-haired man let out a disappointed sigh and he looked down on the floor. Kurumadani Zennosuke… fourteenth year in this Division." He revealed in a majorly depressive tone. Sasuke looked at Yuusuke and then the both of them stared with disbelief at the afro-haired soul reaper.

_"Wow...what a loser."_They both thought in unison. Unbeknownst to each other, they weren't really judgmental of people but for a very important military faction like the 2nd Division to harbor a man working under the twentieth seat for more than a decade meant that that man was obviously doing something wrong. Zennosuke interrupted the similar thoughts of the two soul reapers by quickly pointing a finger in the air.

"But that's going to change! As of today, will be known as the _Suke no sangami kyoudai!_" He declared in a loud voice, adding a roaring laughter.

"_Suke no sangami kyoudai (__Three Awesome Soul Reaper Brothers__)_?" Yuusuke repeated in puzzlement.

"Zennosuke!" The thick-browed man said pointing to himself, "Sasuke, Yuusuke. Together, we'll be known as the three awesome Soul Reaper brothers. We'll be the new legends, just like the _Densetsu no Sangami._"

"Isn't that just a folktale they tell to children just so that they can entice them to apply to the academy?" Yuusuke said. "And besides, I think you're a little too old to be spouting things like that."

"Hmph! Maybe they don't exist and they've never been actually recorded in the Soul Society archives but their exploits are real." Zennosuke said. "Like that time when-

"Hey ladies! Move over and make room for big man on campus!" An even more annoying voice than the Kurumadani bellowed. Three pairs of eyes locked onto a very tall, dark-skinned, massively muscled man. He wore dark sunglasses and he was bald. "Where's ma bed?"

Yuusuke flash stepped over the top bunk on Sasuke's side, and then pointed to the other bunk bed. "Right over there!"

"What? No it isnt! Its-

In one step, the huge Soul Reaper was facing the scrawny-looking one. "There a problem?" He asked, lifting up his sunglasses, revealing a scar over his left eye.

"N-N-No, sir, none at all. Please have a wonderful stay in your bunk bed. Don't mind little old me." Zennosuke said, shaking in his pants. "B-By the way, w-what's your name?"

"Hatsu Bakusuke! Got it in ya head?" The dark skinned man greeted as he sat down on the lower bed, bending the structure. Zennosuke perked up at the sound of his last name.

"Bakusuke? Nice! Now we'll be known as-

"Zennosuke?" Sasuke interjected.

"Yes?" The latter answered.

"Leave me out of your team." The Uchiha said, giving a cold eye to the afro-haired man.

"Me too, please?" Yuusuke added.

"What? What's goin on?" The burly man said. When Zennosuke explained his intentions, Bakusuke roared with laughter.

"Oh wow, that's the most stupidest thing I ever heard." He said. "Someone get me a medic 'cause I'mma die of heart attack."

The continuous laughter only served to depress the thick-browed man into sitting in a corner with knees brought to his face. The depressing aura he brought was simply ignored by the three other Soul Reapers.

* * *

The Twentieth Unit lunchroom was nothing short of what was to be expected: decrepit, cobwebbed ceiling corners, sticky-stained walls, rusty leaking waters from old pipes, vulgar lunch-ladies and most importantly, meager expired smelling food. Bakusuke didn't seem to mind as he voraciously gobbled his six helpings of mashed potatoes and three days old leftover gravy. Sasuke satisfied himself with badly cooked natto while Zennosuke and Yuusuke both drank spoonfuls of an incredibly bland miso soup. To draw their nostrils and taste-buds away from their vomit-inducing meals, they listened to Bakusuke's back story. The "master of the fist" as he referred himself to, had just transferred from the 5th Division and had nearly forty years of service in Soul Society. Zennosuke, being the unintentionally insensitive man that all three would soon discover, posed the question that was Sasuke and Yuusuke's minds:

"Why didn't you transfer to the 11th Division?"

The amnesiac and effeminate-faced men sucked in their breaths. The three could already feel the volatile spiritual pressure flowing from the muscle-bound soul reaper. He slammed a fist on the lunch table and narrowed the distance from his furious face to Zennosuke's fidgety one by a hair's breath.

"Why I ain't in Zaraki-taichou's division? You motherfuckin' stereotypical bastard! Ya think just cause I got muscles the size of yo big head and a scar o'er my eye, I should be in the 11th Division, huh?" Bakusuke barked up. "Admit it! I dare ya to admit it. If ya got balls, say it!"

The afro-styled man felt like he could melt at any minute from the boiling hot stare of his roommate. Sasuke rested a cautious hand on the hilt of his sword just in case he needed to stop a premeditated murder while Yuusuke continued to be purposely oblivious to the situation as he bowled down his soup. Zennosuke was on the verge of tears when decided to speak up.

"Y-Yes?" the man said as he squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable cave-in of his face but it never came. Instead, the pissed off face retreated above his unfinished meal and then laughed his guts off, startling everyone in the lunchroom.

"Ya know what, I like you man. I met like, a hundred Soul Reapers but you the only one who actually spoke his mind. Ya got more guts combined than girly-man and pretty boy o'er there. Ya'll know ya were thinkin' it and ain't no shame in speakin' it either. Anyways, if ya wanna know, I used to be in Zaraki-taichou's unit but I got kicked out cause I sucked at sword-fightin'. See, the man singled me out for a spar and I challenged him to use his fists. It was all cool and I even thought that we were on the same level. Then some punk bitch yelled out 'use 'em swords'. Swear to gawd, I see that little shit, Imma spank the dead out of him. Anyways, so I'm usin' my sword but Zaraki-taichou's like "what kind of fuckin' stance is that? You ain't even holdin' it properly.' Two minutes later, he tells me to get the hell out and go learn how to use a sword. When I'm good and proper, I can go back again."

Sasuke let out an inaudible sound of relief while Yuusuke continued to pretend to care about the conversation as he downed his last bit of soup. Zennosuke was, of course, the most relieved, literally crying tears of joy that he wouldn't have to use his paycheck for facial reconstruction purposes.

"So...w-what happened? Are you g-good now?" Zennosuke asked cautiously.

"A lil' bit. After that minor incident, I transferred to the eighth division and met the most badass of captains. Man, the dawg has like, the illest lady-pimpin' moves I ever seen, yo. Can't remember his name though. Damn, its on the tip o' my tongue."

"Kyoraku Shunsui." Sasuke filled in.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it. Kyoraku-taichou taught me a little bit but he told me I was waaaaaay better with ma hands than a sword so I moved to the fifth division. At first, I thought the captain was like some sissy bitch but that guy owned this Gillian-class Hollow like it was a double cheeseburger. Man, can't remember his name. Its like, in ma head, but it won't come out."

"Aizen Sousuke." Yuusuke completed, clearing his throat as he wanted to hold back his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it. Man, you guys smart. Chicken shit, but smart. Anyways, so this guy said that if I can't use a sword, I should be like Lady Thorn of the Godhand from that story and get better in fistfights in the second division, 'cause everybody likes usin' it."

"Actually," Yuusuke interjected, "That would be in the Special Forces, the _Onmitsukido_. Some members don't even use their swords in missions."

"Yeah, yeah, that's it. Thanks girly-man." Bakusuke said. Yuusuke appeared to be untroubled by it but Sasuke's scrutinizing eyes caught the ever so slight twitch of the effeminate-faced man's temple. If Bakusuke wasn't careful with his words, the Uchiha would have to sleep with an eye open to prevent a murder, most likely tonight in the man's sleep.

"Lady Thorn of the Godhand?" Zennosuke perked up, sounding more confident in speaking with the intimidating man. "Bakusuke, you read "Tale of the Gallant Shinigami"? Oh, and before you say I'm stereotypical, most Soul Reapers don't read that book because they lack imagination." With that said, he eyed Yuusuke and Sasuke, who both shrugged the fallible insult.

"Yeah man, you too? Ya know what, you're cooler than I thought. Yeah, I don't read much but when I heard about some woman Soul Reaper who could heal and kill with her bare hands, I knew she was gonna be my girl. Only later, it broke ma heart to learn that she just some made up story but I read it and then I decided one day, I'd have Godhands too. And who knows, maybe she might meet me some day."

"It's just a story based off a far-handed rumor, Bakusuke." Yuusuke said, becoming a little more interested in the conversation. The one in question crossed his arms and gave a pissed off look to his roommate.

"Ya know what man, Kuma was right: you lack imagination." Bakusuke said. Zennosuke caught Sasuke's impassive gaze and pointed to himself. Sasuke nodded, confirming the unruly-built man had indeed abbreviated his last name and at the same moment, calling him a bear.

"Fine, it's a rumor, so what? It's meant to be inspirational, ya prissy bitch. Plus, that book caught a lot of attention 'cause the last chapter was written after they died." Bakusuke finished.

"Posthumous work? How?" Sasuke queried, now intrigued.

"Okay, okay, listen here. Ya know district zero, right?" Zennosuke said.

"Of course we do." Yuusuke spoke up. "District Zero was appropriately named after the incident 'Lost Zero' happened. It's taught to all Soul Reapers that a dimensional rift suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started sucking everything in, pretty musch turning into a black hole. It killed many noncombatants and Soul Reapers alike and it took many sacrifices to seal it up, which is why–" He then gave a mocking glance to Zennosuke. "Someone decided to use that tragedy as a way to make money and made a book about fictional three Soul Reapers who gave up their lives to seal it up. I should also inform you that the book makes light of what happened and is even considered heretical by some scholars and captains as well because the book says verbatim 'The three legendary Soul Reapers would be remembered as the ones who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their loved ones' while everyone knows thousands of regular souls and Soul Reapers died because of it."

The table became silent, letting everyone's mind reflect on Yuusuke's words. The latter got up and lifted his tray. "But don't take my word for it. After all, _it's inspirational_, right?"

Once he was out of earshot, the two roommates heard Bakusuke's explicit comment. "Fucking buzz-killing bastard."

* * *

_**Shinigami Omake**_

"...so then I was like, BAM, and then I smacked the living shit out of the guy. I swear, the fucka was cryin' like a bitch. Dayumm, ya'll shoulda seen it, he was all like..."

Bakusuke was in a lively conversation with Zennosuke about his earlier fighting days and the more he spoke about them, the more his style of speech was getting more radical by the minute, so much that it sounded more like this:

"...guy came up to ma face and was like 'ya better crank that shit up or Imma be poppin' these beats on yo head' then I'm all humble ya know. I be like 'Better back the fuck up boi or Imma break your hand so hard, yo mamma's gon' feel it." He then wrapped his story around Yuusuke and Sasuke. "Ya know what I'm sayin'?"

Sasuke looked at Yuusuke, whom both blinked together in puzzlement, stared at Bakusuke like he was clinically insane and then looked at Zennosuke as if he knew the answer.

"What are you two looking at me for?" He snapped to the two geniuses. Bakusuke posed a friendly hand on the afro-haired man. "It's not like I-

"Ya know what I'm talkin' about, right?" He asked jovially. Zennosuke raised his palms in the air, crossed both middle and ring fingers together and then crossed his arms together as if making two 'W's.

"Word, dawg, for shizzle!" He said, teeth gleaming. He then felt two pairs of mocking gazes from his two other roommates. When he turned around slowly, Sasuke and Yuusuke had already distanced themselves twenty paces away.

"Wait guys, its not-" Zennosuke then felt the proud, admirable gaze of Bakusuke. He lowered his head, depressed, two streams of water running from his eyes.

"It's not what you think." He finished, not even sure if he even meant it anymore.

* * *

_**Wolf's Honour:** The sad thing about this chapter, the OC Bakusuke reminds me of my homie here in San Jose. Always be talking smack and shit and makes me lol so damn much._

_Anyways, next chapter will be out Tuesday._


	19. The Blood Oath made between Brothers

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones?

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

* * *

Fortunately for Sasuke, Bakusuke, Yuusuke and Zennosuke, the Twentieth Unit of the 2nd Division had been scheduled for training today. They had all moved to an unoccupied forest of the western part of Rukongai and they separated themselves in small groups across the forest. Bakusuke wanted a "free-for-all" match, to which Zennosuke was naturally against. Sasuke didn't think about it much but Yuusuke really wanted to take it easy on his first day here.

Their light sparring took them to a small, stone-filled river. Sasuke had already compensated the lack of friction on his soles with soul particles as well as Yuusuke. Bakusuke contended with standing in shallow waters thanks to his height while Zennosuke satisfied himself by staying clear from what he called the trio "monsters".

Yuusuke initiated the second half of their training session with a jump kick. Sasuke glided right above the man and shoved his back with the palm of his hands. Yuusuke was able to somewhat regain his balance after the counterattack but before he could land on a smooth stone, the Uchiha blasted the piece with a kido spell, letting his similar skilled comrade fall into the water.

"You're using unarmed flight combat to your advantage again Sasuke." The soaked Soul Reaper relented. "That's not fair."

"Then get better at it." Sasuke suggested in an almost snobbish tone. Just then, a rising, violent wave was heading towards the two Soul Reapers. Yuusuke looked at the raven-haired man, who thought of the same thing.

"Way of Binding no. 39: Arc Shield!" Both of them chanted, invoking a shield of condensed spiritual energy. The waves parted upon impact, leaving the two intact. Sasuke looked down and noticed that the river had been emptied of its natural resource. Obviously, it had been Bakusuke's work but where was he, now that he was missing from both soul reapers' field of vision?

"Guahh!" The over-sized man roared behind Sasuke, attempting to crush him with joint fists. The Uchiha backed away quite nicely but he wasn't expecting the aftershock, fuelled with _reiryoku_. Sasuke casted the thirty-seventh binding spell, creating a star-shaped cushion of spiritual energy, which anchored itself to nearby trees and rocks with ropes of spirit particles, allowing the Uchiha to fall reassuringly into it. Yuusuke used the opportunity to begin the invocation for the sixty-first binding spell as Bakusuke charged towards the Uchiha. Right before he could cast it, he found himself suddenly bound by the same spell.

"What in the..." Yuusuke's thin eyes looked at Sasuke, who was busy dodging left and right, his assailant's barrage. His vision then darted to a slyly grinning Zennosuke, who still had his hand extended from the spell casting.

"Ho hum. A true warrior never excludes the smallest of opponents!" The Soul Reaper said triumphantly.

"So..." Yuusuke began methodically, "...you actually admit that you're weak?"

A dark shade of red pigmented the afro-haired man's face from rage. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING WEAK! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT UNLIKE YOU TWO, I CAN ACTUALLY USE A SHIKAI!" He yelled. "Prepared to be-pagyaah!

The scrawny Soul Reaper was interrupted by the flying belligerent man. They tumbled and crashed into a rocky surface, flattening the bamboo sticks. Yuusuke disabled the weak binding spell with his _reiryoku_ and watched as Sasuke advanced dangerously towards the two. Apparently, Bakusuke had succeeded at finally getting a hit on the Uchiha and now the latter was marching with vengeance written all over his face. Just before he could make both of the soul reapers suffer uncalled for retribution, a messenger from the Nineteenth Unit appeared.

"Training session is over. All Soul Reapers of the Twentieth Unit must return to their barracks at once for the next part of their assignment."

A collective groan erupted from the four: it was latrine duty.

* * *

"So tell me how you were able to send that hulk of meat flying like that?"

"It was a combination of the Orchid Sky and Thrust spell."

"Oh...advanced kido, huh? Guess you're a shoe-in for the kido corp, huh?"

"Pfft, pretty boy used some shmancy-fancy magic. So what? When it comes to ma fist, I laid the smackdown on his ass."

"I'm going to put the smackdown on all of you if you don't shut the hell up and clean the toilets!"

"YES SIR!"

Latrine duty stunk, literally. It wasn't just the smell, it also was that all four 'suke' s found out that men could never aim properly at those damn toilets. There were things growing there that Sasuke was sure they did not exist. He was thankful that they didn't have to wear their uniforms for this sort of thing.

The days spent in the second division were as rudimentary as ever. They included being laughed at by the higher ranked Soul Reaper, Zennosuke getting them constantly in trouble and doing even more menial jobs as punishment, stopping Yuusuke and Bakusuke from killing each other ever since the other prodigy snapped at being called a girly-man and Sasuke and Yuusuke getting advances from the girls from the women's barracks and at the same time, rejecting them as well, much to the chagrin of the "gangsta" brothers, who were known naturally of course as Zennosuke and Bakusuke.

One day, after a routine Hollow-scouting assignment, Zennosuke ran up to his three other teammates with glee in his eyes and teeth.

"Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys!" He greeted in his usual fashion.

"What?" The three other soul reapers said in their usual annoyed fashion.

"Its promotion day." Zennosuke revealed.

"Why are you happy about it?" Yuusuke asked in a mocking tone. "It's not like you're going anywhere."

"Hah! But that's where you're wrong, my ever-so cruel man." Zennosuke said. The foursome was headed towards the general meeting after the beckoning call of the Twentieth seated officer. "I'll have you know that ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, everyone in this unit gets promoted to at least the nineteenth unit. Wanna know why? I'll give you a hint: Its-

"Because of the graduates at the academy and the transfer from other division that happens coincide every four months in the year." Yuusuke finished for him, annoying even further the afro-haired soul reaper. "However, that's also the time when people get demoted as well, am I right?"

Zennosuke groaned in his traditional depressive aura. "Yes..."

"Hey man, lay off!" Bakusuke grumbled. "Who knows, maybe Kuma's gonna be going to even higher places than imagined."

If that wasn't a bold-faced lie, the three other Soul Reapers didn't know what else was. They put a hold on their steps when they arrived at the gathering point in the building and listened attentively at the two seated officers.

"Listen well because I'm not going to repeat myself. If you forget or mishear, that's your business because I fully intend to make you look like a fool for a week before I tell you were you're supposed to be. All of you have been gathered here because you're going to be promoted. Don't get too excited though, because the promotions are from the Nineteenth to the Fifteenth Unit. Want to know what that means? You're still dogs of this division! Okay, starting with promotions to the Nineteenth Unit: Aki Seiren, Amenui Kyoji ..."

The list went on until they got to Zennosuke's name, to which the Nineteenth seated officer paused. "Kumadarani? You again?" he then bent down to hear his co-worker and then afterwards laughed his head off. "Oh man, Omaeda-fukutaichou said that? Dayumm. Hey, Kumadarani, guess what? You're our toilet boy, that's why you haven't been fired yet."

A roar of laughter erupted from the room. Sasuke saw the dejected face of Zennosuke and frowned. Sure, he wasn't the most exemplary of Soul Reapers but that was no excuse to humiliate him in front of so many. He was about to give the man a piece of his mind when he was stopped by the abjected Soul Reaper.

"Don't do it Sasuke. No point in defending a guy like me." he said

"But –"

"We'll talk about it later. Just shut up and get your promotion." Zennosuke said firmly. Sasuke resigned himself but made note to vindicate the unjustly treated comrade. Twenty minutes passed and when they heard the last name for the promotion in the 15th Division. The unnamed trio looked at each other in confusion. Hadn't the nineteenth seated officer said everyone in the room was getting promoted?

"Okay, listen up. In this room, there are three people who actually managed to get promotions above the fifteenth unit. That's a rare accomplishment, especially in their first year here. Every dog has his day and I want you all to remember their names and faces when you get the chance to see them again. For outstanding show of force and tenacity against Hollows without the use of a zanpakuto, Hatsu Bakusuke is promoted to the twelfth unit. Shiori Yuusuke and Uchiha Sasuke: I knew there was something with you two when I saw your profiles from the academy and you two actually lived up to your report. For thoroughly doing everything you've been asked to do without a peep, showing remarkable skill and talent and demonstrating your diligent natures, you've been both promoted to the Tenth Unit. A show of hands to these three."

All heads spun to the back of the room where the three nominees were standing and they all clapped hands. Bakusuke laughed out of embarrassment, Yuusuke simply contented to give a smile while Sasuke kept his brooding scowl. The twentieth seated officer concluded the meeting and then prompted the three higher ranked soul reapers to come forward.

"Here are your papers. Show them to your respective seated officers when you get to the barracks. The 2nd Division will be expecting more of you from now on. Do not disappoint our decision.

"Yes ma'am." The three said in unison. Before Sasuke went past the nineteenth officer, he stopped and looked at him with the most glacial coal-black glare he had ever given.

"Zennosuke might be a loser to you but you, who is seated officer, is even worth less than trash. I looked at your records. Don't think for a minute you're better him."

Before the insulted Soul Reaper could retort with a comeback, Sasuke left the room and headed outside.

* * *

"Oh man, you shoulda been there Kuma. Pretty boy dissed the mofo. Punk bitch was left standin' there like he lost a 'yo' mamma' contest."

"It's true. Even I didn't think Sasuke would've done something like that. Guess there's a soft spot within the cold wolf." Yuusuke added. Zennosuke couldn't help bawling after he heard what Sasuke had done after he ran away when the seated officer humiliated him.

"You might be disciplined, you know that?" He said between sobs.

"Don't worry about that. There's very little he can do, especially after I told him what I knew about him."

"Which was?" Yuusuke said.

"Nothing. I've come to deduce what kind of man he is so I played on that. Just like us, lower seated officers can get promoted and demoted quickly. For someone like him, who'd been in the 2nd Division for so long, it wasn't hard to figure that he must've done something to remain there." Sasuke said, earning a newfound admiration from his comrades.

"Sasuke… you…" Zennosuke sobbed again. When he stopped, he wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up straight with a determined face on. "Sasuke, Bakusuke, Yuusuke, honestly I thought the three of you were just gonna be like the rest of the Soul Reapers I met but you actually cared for me. Except for Yuusuke, which is sometimes hard to tell. Sasuke!"

"Y-Yes?" The Uchiha asked, a bit startled by the yelling.

"I'm gonna quit this division. Not because it's not for me or I suck at everything but because I want to start fresh. I'm gonna be a better man and stop relying on everyone to do stuff for me. I'm gonna prove to everyone that I am a capable Soul Reaper, just like anyone else." He said.

There was a moment of quietude, amplifying the magnitude of Zennosuke's word. Yuusuke was the first to break the silence.

"I want to say something sarcastic but I really can't do it. It must mean that you mean every word you said."

"Word yo. Now I really have new respect for you." Bakusuke added with a smile.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He kept staring at Zennosuke as if he doubted every word he said. He extended a hand to him. "I look forward to the new Kumadarani Zennosuke."

The newly determined Soul Reaper didn't shake the Uchiha's hand but rather his forearm. "That's a blood brother shake. Remember it when you're making pacts with people."

"Oh, for once, you actually did something impressive." Yuusuke chipped in.

"I am NOT going to miss that mouth of yours, Yuusuke!" Zennosuke yelled.

"So where you headin'?" Bakusuke asked.

"To Ukitate-taichou's 13th Division. I know he's gonna give me a chance to prove myself. My record might be black like charcoal but at least it ain't red like a criminal."

The three laughed heartily while Sasuke allowed a chuckle to escape his lips. Zennosuke accompanied the trio to Bakusuke's barrack, where he said his goodbye by almost crushing to death his three ex-roommates with a bear hug. Then, the remaining threesome stopped at the tenth unit and said their goodbyes once more.

"It's only going to get harder from there, Sasuke." Yuusuke said, noting the radical change in the overall air. Sasuke gave his traditional 'hn.' before adding:

"You can give up now if you want to."

"And eat that sorry excuse for food? No way. I'd rather take my chances with a Menos."

"Suit yourself."

* * *

The Tenth Unit lacked any sense of camaraderie the Twentieth unit held. Its walls and all that it enclosed were cold and seemingly heartless. Both prodigies didn't outwardly say it but they were glad for each other's company.

That night, as Sasuke slept in his shared room with Yuusuke, he dreamt of the serpentine flying creature again. The Uchiha suspected that it was his zanpakuto trying to contact him but alas, it still couldn't hear Sasuke. He woke up in a sweat and then found Yuusuke's bed empty. He looked around but found no one so he decided to step out of the room and look for him. After searching the toilets and other rooms of the building, he decided to exit. There, he met with the tenth seated officer.

"You are Yuusuke's roommate, right? Follow me." he said, almost whispering. Sasuke nodded. The seated officer led Sasuke out of the 2nd Division's area and walked until they reached a clearing.

"Look but do not disturb." He said to the Uchiha. The latter nodded again and went closer to the familiar spiritual pressure he was sensing. The intimidating purpose of the _reiatsu_ was absent. Instead, it felt uncontrolled and random.

When the Uchiha got close to enough to see who the _reiatsu_ belonged to, he saw Yuusuke endowed with a bluish, spiritual energy. He was even able to see for the first time the pupil of his friend's eyes, glowing with force. The rain of _reiryoku_ came to an abrupt end. Yuusuke let his blade rest in the palm of his hands, and then raised the zanpakuto to the heavens.

"Suffocate! _Sansaime!_"

A violent wind suddenly kicked up from out of nowhere and rain poured as well. Sasuke watched in amazement Yuusuke's zanpakuto changing into a beautiful swirling azure-colored umbrella with a long, black bamboo shaft. The storm came to an end after it reverted back to its usual steel-edged stature. Yuusuke then came out of his trance and then caught the astonished face of his friend.

"Hurry up and get one too." He said, all smiles.

* * *

Sasuke listened intently to Yuusuke as they both ate their meals. Compared to the twentieth unit, the food was a godsend and much more fulfilling. They both were eating with gusto a Japanese-styled pizza with chai tea and tayiaki—a fish-shaped cake-for dessert.

"I've been hearing the voice ever since I was back in the ninth Eastern Rukongai District. Since I was born into a lower noble house, it didn't take long for my parents to contact the academy and tell them that I had potential. My sister was against it and so was I but I didn't much choice." Yuusuke said.

"You have a sister?" Sasuke asked. Yuusuke giggled.

"Yeah, I never mentioned it but then again, no one asked. Anyways, it was a good thing too because a week before the Court of Pure Souls sent their Soul Reapers to get me, a hollow attacked and razed our town into nothingness. My sister and I survived but my parents were killed. Back then, all I thought was why the hell did that Soul Reaper take so long to get here? My sister not only became orphans but after those soul reapers came and killed the Hollow, they deemed my sister's _reiryoku_ to be too small to be qualified to attend the academy with me. So then, she was adopted by a distant relative, who belonged into a higher noble house while I was sent here."

Sasuke allowed the clatter of utensils to fill the gaping silence for a while. Yuusuke finished his last slice of pizza and then continued the tale of his past. "A month later, I learned that the house leader wanted to marry my sister with a friend of his. When my sister sent of a picture of him to me in a letter, I panicked. I recognized him as the disgusting, decrepit old man of the Hiruma house who had a thing for young girls. Sure, age don't mean squat in Soul Society but that man is gross. I heard that every time he gets a concubine, she looks younger than the last one. There's no way I was going to let him defile my sister like she was just another piece of garbage to him. However, I really had no idea how I was supposed to do that. She was well treated and she still is, but in a year from now, she's going to be betrothed to that nasty man."

"So then you found a way then?" Sasuke queried with hope, still eating his okonomiyaki.

"Of course!" Yuusuke said with a fist raised in the air. "Actually, it was more like chance. You see, in the first year I attended the academy, I was able to meet with the vice-captain of this division. He was basically giving a rundown on how his division was being run but I could not have cared less about that. The only thing that interested me was the fact that he was of high nobility and he was rich. So I struck a deal with him."

"And the deal was..." Sasuke said, letting his words hang.

"To pay him a certain amount of money and to make it into the _Onmitsukido_ in one year. If I succeeded at doing both, then he would "buy" my sister from my relatives and I would continue to pay him off." Yuusuke revealed, emptying his tea cup.

Sasuke wasn't content with his friend's plan. "What if he turns out to be just as disgusting as the old man you were speaking of?"

Yuusuke grinned mischievously. "Thought you might say that. Take a gander at this picture." He said, withdrawing a photo and handing it to Sasuke. On it was a girl probably no older than fifteen years of age with ankle-length green hair as well as gentle green irises. She was a very pretty girl and Yuusuke could see that in his comrade's eyes.

"'Damn, she's ugly,' was the first thing that left Omaeda-fukutaichou's mouth. Normally I would've been angry but that day, I was laughing so hard, I thought I was going to pee on myself. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and clearly, it was in his. Plus, he showed me his "pretty" sisters and mother and his one "ugly" sister so I have nothing to be afraid of."

"Clearly." Sasuke said with emphasis, getting another chuckle from Yuusuke. He smile then took a sombre as he stared emptily into his cup.

"Sasuke, you should know better than anyone what being driven is. I saw it in your eyes in the academy. Many students thought you were aloof, bored and possibly a total snob but I was the only one to see that flicker in your eyes when you were training or sparring with other students. There's something that pushes you so I knew for sure that we could connect; that's why I approached you. I'm not going to let anyone or anything stop me from getting into the _Onmitsukido_."

"But why the _Onmitsukido_? That's—

"The _true_ Special Forces branch of Seireitei, witch has a sixty-six percent rate of death, I know but it's the only unit that allows any Soul Reaper to make as much money as a vice-captain of any other division. Every time I see my sister's face with that senile, disgusting fool, it drives me insane and my insides cringe at what he will do to her in the nights. I can't and won't let that happen. That's why I need your help." Yuusuke said.

"My help? What can I do? If its money then—

"Don't want and won't accept your money, Sasuke. Come on, I'm not that sort of person and you know it." Yuusuke berated. "What I want is for the both of us to use our goals as a mean to make each other better. Solo training is fine but doing it with someone who's equal or superior like you is the only way I'm going to get into that unit. By the way, you haven't told me what's pushing you."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, carefully arranging his thoughts before replying. "I'm an amnesiac."

"Really?" Yuusuke retorted without much effect. "That's not something I was expecting to hear."

"How so?" The Uchiha asked.

"Well, anyone here has little or no memories of their past life but that's because they made peace with themselves before coming to—

"No, not that sort of amnesia. I don't remember a single thing of my life." Sasuke interrupted. Astonishment was evident in his friend's eye.

"Whoa... oh my, that is pretty bad and I'm not just saying that to sympathize. When my town was attacked by that hollow, a really good friend of mine lost his memory because debris had damaged his brain. Tell you the truth… that was my second real fear after not knowing if my family was doing fine. He couldn't remember a single thing—he couldn't even remember me! I learned a few days later he died but —" Yuusuke took a long, big breath before going on, "— Sasuke, do whatever it takes to remember because I tell you this now: the person or people you forgot would cry if they ever meet you. Have they already?"

"No." Sasuke answered honestly. Yuusuke let out a breath of relief. He then put a comforting hand on the Uchiha's shoulder.

"Good. Always remember this: someone out there cares and knows about you. If you let them meet you while you're still an amnesiac, prepared to have etched in your mind their sorrowful face because that's exactly what I gave to my dead friend."

Yuusuke got up and walked away with the taiyaki in hand, leaving Sasuke with alone with his thoughts. He wondered what kind of face Yuusuke made to his friend when he couldn't remember him and preferred not to imagine it. He then moved on to his next set of thoughts, recalling the goals that Yuusuke revealed to him. Sasuke suddenly felt so insignificant compared to the goal-driven Shiori. He only had his memories to worry about while Yuusuke was giving it his all to rescue his sister from an impending disastrous future. If his comrade thought he saw a flicker in the Uchiha's eyes, then the latter saw a bonfire illuminating Yuusuke's soul.

* * *

Sasuke agreed to help Yuusuke in his training. The two took any window of opportunity to train harshly. At every outing, the Soul Reapers took with them around five to ten bokuto, weights and whatever piece of equipment they could get their hands on and secluded themselves into an area, training until their next assignment. Sometimes, if their day had little use of strenuous physical energy, they would escape under the cover of the night, soaking the ground with their blood and sweat.

A few months later, a promotional exam was given to all soul reapers of the tenth unit. The academy graduates naturally passed with flying colors, allowing them to be put under further examination for the promotional meeting. Another month passed and a meeting was called. Sasuke and Yuusuke were called along with other soul reapers and just like the first time, names were being called out and again, just like the first time, they were not named. Instead, they were told to remain after everyone else was gone.

"Leave your barracks tonight and come to this location." The tenth seated officer said, giving a paper. The duo gave each other quizzical looks but did not decide to push the issue further. Instead they waited with anxious anticipation for sundown. Once the appointed time of day showed itself, both headed for the destination.

They found themselves in a small arborous region, with a stream flowing steadily from a hill. Lanterns illuminated them and three other shinigami.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Shiori Yuusuke," the man in the middle said, the dancing flame from the lantern barely showing any distinctive facial features, "you've been under watch for awhile now. We usually see this sort of activity once soul reapers attain the seventh or sixth rank but doing it now lets us question what you are really up to."

The duo did remain quiet, although their passive deception and the dark of the night served as a perfect cover for their hands to move quietly to their blade hilts.

"Do not fret. We're not here to harm you." The other soul reaper said. The Shiori and the Uchiha stayed their hands. "We're actually proceeding to an alternate form of exam."

"I don't understand." Sasuke quipped.

"Nothing really. My colleagues and I just want to know what your goals in this division are. Please be honest." He said without missing a beat. His androgynous style of speech left the two tenth unit soul reapers wondering what was he up to. Yuusuke stepped forwards and let both hands hang.

"I want to join the Special Forces." He said without adding anything else. The quietude indicated that they wanted to hear the Uchiha's thoughts.

"So do I." Sasuke revealed much to the hidden surprise of his comrade. This was the first time he mentioned any purpose relevant to Seireitei's military ranks.

"I thought as much." The self-proclaimed proctor said. "And I can bet you two are as greenhorn as any other soul reaper wanting to join the Special Forces. Do you know what the higher ups call that force?"

Sasuke and Yuusuke did not bother answering the question, for they knew. Instead, they let the proctor do his sales pitch. "The _Onmitsukido_ is called the Justice brought from the Darkness, the obscure hand of righteousness, the shadow of absolute order. Those who work in that unit have abandoned their names, their lives, their hopes and their dreams. Where the Thirteen Imperial Court Divisions are the light and hope of Soul Society, the _Onmitsukido_ are the shadows that put its enemies to eternal sleep. Tears will not be shed for the dead, and the injured will be left to die. Orders are absolute and insubordination is subject to death without fair trial or parole. Tell me, are the two of you willing to join such a unit?"

Both replied in unison without any thought or hesitation. "Yes!"

Briefly, the Uchiha witnessed a wicked smiled spread across the proctor's lips. "Thought you might say that." He then turned to his coworkers, who then nodded in turn. The duo frowned in restlessness and then found out a second later that it was not unfounded: Another Soul Reaper brought a large shadow down to his knees and had his mouth gagged. He was sweating profusely and he seemed to be in a state of panic. When the lantern was brought to his face, Sasuke and Yuusuke both recognized the face.

"Shiori Yuusuke! Kill Uchiha Sasuke or Hatsu Bakusuke dies!" The proctor said, bringing the edge of his Soul Reaper close to Bakusuke's neck. A trickle of blood had already begun to fall, putting more pressure to the situation.

Yuusuke's arm began to shake uncontrollably. His distraught gaze locked with Sasuke's own distressed appearance.

"This is the sort of unit you'll be joining. If you can't even do that much, then you had no chance to enter in the first place." The proctor said, instigation clear in his words. Sasuke could see Yuusuke's hand going slowly to his sword and the gleam of the blade being withdrawn.

"Yuusuke..." Sasuke named out. He was so tense; he thought he could hear his heartbeat.

"Sasuke, I..." Yuusuke began. He looked at the dark cloudy skies, as if he was hoping for a miracle. Suddenly, all Soul Reapers saw the blade first being pointed at the Uchiha and then to the proctor. "...I can't do it. You're saying all these things about the Special Forces and then you come at us with this set-up. If the _Onmitsukido_ have to go that far to recruit its soldiers, then it's clearly a joke. There's no justice in here, at this moment. All I see here is that the Special Forces are the corrupt hand of a fallacious justice."

_Reiatsu_ began to dispense from Yuusuke and the Uchiha could feel the familiar spike all soul reapers released when they were about to call out their spiritual sword deity. "Let Bakusuke go or I'll cut all of your miserable lives down!"

"Heh! You might have refused but what about Sasuke?" The examiner said in a mocking tone. "Sasuke, kill Yuusuke and I'll spare Bakusuke's life."

Sasuke looked at Yuusuke, whose ardent glare was still directed at the proctor. He then gave the latter a confident smirk and allowed his spiritual energy to pressure his newly-found enemy.

"Yuusuke has already said everything I wanted to say." The Uchiha said. "Good thing you know my name, because that's what you'll be remembering when you'll be rotting in hell for eternity if you take Bakusuke's life."

Although both Soul Reapers were resolved in their decision, their heartbeats rose exponentially. What if the proctor decided to take Bakusuke's life in the end anyways?

The Soul Reaper did nothing of the sort. Instead, he simply had Bakusuke stand up and then punched his stomach. Instantly, the bulky body collapsed and something came out of the body. The examiner held the small object in light's way.

"Special soul candy. Bakusuke allowed us to use his faux-body that he had used in a field mission on Earth. We then put a perpetual-frightened soul candy into his body to make it more believable."

Both of the Soul Reaper's _reiatsu_ fluctuated to their lowest point as they lowered their blades. "B-But why?" Yuusuke said, flabbergasted at the revelation.

"I thought I made myself clear at the beginning: this was an alternate form of exam. Just for forgetting that, I would fail you two but your reasoning is saving your hides this time." The proctor said, sheathing his sword.

It had just been a test, nothing more, nothing less. Both comrades sunk to the ground on all fours in an attempt at recomposing themselves while the three other Soul Reapers stifling their mirth.

_'God, this place can be cruel sometimes__,'_ Sasuke thought.

"Listen closely, the Special Forces wants killing machines but they want ones with heads on their shoulders. The problem with all academy graduates is that they forget all the virtues and disciplines of the academy. I can understand Yuusuke for doing so but Sasuke, your record shows that you were an assistant teacher there. I don't really care about such a position but you left behind a really popular saying that even made me change my mind."

"I did?" Sasuke said in confusion.

"Soul Reapers who fail to complete their mission are scum but Soul Reapers who abandon their comrades in a mission are lower than scum. It's become a new discipline in the Academy that is now taught in all classes."

Sasuke's dark eyes widened in recognition. He had completely forgotten he had ever said such a thing and to think that this man, who had just tested them for the Special Forces entry exam, quoted him word for word.

Perhaps this was the miracle Yuusuke had been curtly looking for.

"You two can be pleased with yourself. Take a breather tomorrow because the day after that, the real hell begins. Come to the Fifth Unit. I'll be waiting."

* * *

The next day, the newest Special Forces agents did not say anything about what happened last night. Since today was technically their last day in the 2nd Division, they skipped training and proceeded to complete their duties as if nothing had happened. Nightfall came and while Sasuke was doing some light reading in their room, Yuusuke knocked gently on the door. He had a bottle of sake and sake cups with him.

"Join me for a bit?"

The night was filled with a clear view of the stars and the moon. Sasuke had forgotten how beautiful the sky could be when one was granted such a peaceful view. His friend sat as well on the rooftop of the tenth unit barrack, mesmerized by the celestial scenery.

"Sasuke?" Yuusuke called out.

"Yes?"

"You never told me you wanted to join the Special Forces." The thin-eyed soul reaper said.

"Of course I have." Sasuke fibbed.

"You liar." Yuusuke said, adding a small chuckle. "But seriously, why did you do it? Please don't tell me it's because you want to help me."

"Fine. I won't."

A sigh was heard. Yuusuke laid back and brought his arms together. The cold, soft breeze and the dancing leaves added to the vibrant nocturnal nature.

"Winter has begun." Yuusuke pointed lazily.

"Yeah..."

"Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"Drink with me."

Sasuke looked at his friend in puzzlement. "We're already doing that."

Yuusuke gave his disarming smile. "Remember when Zennosuke was giving that arm shake?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, he did it halfway. Sasuke, I want you to become my blood brother." The green-haired man said, throwing the raven-haired man into further perplexity. Yuusuke bit his thumb and let a drop of blood fall into his right palm.

"This, is for the oath my soul. This blood of mine is the pact that I'm going to make with you. Whenever I will look at this hand, I will remember the oath I made to myself on this very night before you."

Sasuke was enraptured by the ceremonial display of conviction Yuusuke showed. Such an event made by his fervent comrade was not going to be sullied nor rejected by the Uchiha. In fact, he welcomed the ritual with much endeavour. He bit his thumb and let the drop of blood fall into right hand as well.

"This, is for the oath to my soul. This blood of mine is the pact that I'm going to make with you. Whenever I will look at this hand, I will remember the oath I made to myself on this very night before you."

Yuusuke held out his right hand. Once Sasuke gave his, they both clasped together strongly, drying their lifeblood. Then they shook each other's arms.

"I swear I will rescue my sister from that demon. Let this oath be carried out or let I be subjected to hara-kiri!"

"I swear, I will find my memories and never abandon my comrades. Let this oath be carried out or let I be subjected to hara-kiri!"

With their oaths renewed, Yuusuke poured for him and Sasuke sake into their cups. They crossed arms while they drank.

"And that, my blood brother, is how you do a proper blood-brother shake." Yuusuke said. Both soul reapers chuckled and rested against the rooftop, eyes watching the heavenly bodies, moon and stars that had witnessed their vows.

_**Shinigami Fanfipedia - hosted by Yuusuke**_

"Yuusuke here. Last chapter featured some weird puns and other terms that some people might have not known about. I'm here to explain them."

"The shihakusho or the garment of dead souls: The author had been incorrectly calling the whole thing a black hakama. He's only half right. The hakama are the pants of the uniform. The kosode is like the black, long sleeve shirt most Soul Reapers wear. The shitagi and the hakama-himo is like the the undershirt and underpants of the uniform. The pants and the shirt are usually tied together with an obi-sash, that strip of cloth the Soul Reapers wear like a belt."

_"Suke no sangami kyodai_: that lamo Zennosuke decided to take all the 'suke' part of our names, since its a literal translation to "amazing" or "great" as in "its really great or amazing." Sangami would be another loose term at combining 'san' meaning three and 'gami' for god. Kyodai would mean 'family' so when referring to siblings, whom belong to a family, they'd be called 'kyodai'. Hence the whole thing meaning: the awesome three amazing soul reaper brothers."

Hm, come to think of it, it doesn't sound so bad after all.

Actually, never mind. It still sounds ridiculous. Any questions?

Author: what about _Sansaime_? Tell the readers about it.

"That will wait until the next chapter. I'll be doing my posthumous fanfipedia there, tee hee."

Author: Oi...that's not something to laugh about. Please pick your jokes more carefully.

**"Says you. You don't even-**

Author: I thought I told you already Sasuke: get the hell out of here. Nobody cares you were gone. Tee hee.

"Oi... now that's _really_ something not to laugh about. Oh well, see you all next time."


	20. The Educed Agony of Losing a Brother

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

* * *

An aerial view of the 2nd Division's northern area would see a moving black column resembling closely to that of ants when they moved in single file to return with their hard-worked earnings back to the ant colony's nest.

That's exactly what Sasuke, Yuusuke and few others appeared like when they were being taken to a well ornamented huge building, the single difference was that they were only cuffed with sekki-sekki stones instead of bringing gifts like commoners did when entering a castle. When the Uchiha asked himself mentally to whom the mansion belonged to, Yuusuke answered for him unwillingly.

"So that's what it looks like up close… the Shihouin mansion." The fox-faced soul reaper commented with a whistle.

"Shihouin mansion? That means it's for a nobleman, right?" Sasuke asked.

"Sort of; since the mansion used to belong to a noble _woman_. However, the woman in question disappeared nearly a hundred years ago so I guess it goes to the next Shihouin." Yuusuke answered. "Problem is, as far as the general records show, there is no other Shihouin to take up the helm."

"But if we're taken there, then that means someone of equal power or more sits on the chair then." Sasuke deduced.

"Bzzt, wrong!" Yuusuke said. All Soul Reapers silenced themselves when passing through a checkpoint, and then recommenced their light conversations. "It's actually someone of lesser nobility but holds military power."

"Our captain then?" The Uchiha said.

"Huh uh. Its an unusual move, as far as nobility and military procedures go but since the twenty-second Shihouin head no longer has any jurisdiction over the special forces like it used to, someone has to take over."

Sasuke mulled over this new set of facts and at the same time, was yanked on the string of familiarity. It wasn't just the name, it was also the steps taken onto the golden stairs of the immaculate entrance to the mansion.

"Look alive. They're getting ready to brand us." Yuusuke whispered, referring to the buckets filled with a mix of viscous liquid and spiritual energy. The metal-branding staff's end was shaped like two super-imposing horizontal and vertical rectangles: the symbol of the Special Forces.

Sasuke chose the location of the rhombus to be placed at his back. The man who did it did not comment on the Uchiha tattoo. The former grimaced, his teeth at the searing hot pain that came from the deceptively cold looking branding staff.

"Jeez, at least remember to remove your division tattoo before getting another one." The man said, annoyed. Sasuke raised a perplexed eyebrow.

"Division tattoo? The fan on the back is—

"Don't play dumb with me, sonny. I'm not talking about that fan you got on your shoulder. I'm talking about the symbol for the tenth division. Bah, what do I care?" And with that said, the soul reaper left to brand another covert operative, leaving Sasuke confused. Another rhombus on his back? Tenth division? What was that supposed to mean?

"The tattoo will serve as an identification marker, as well as giving you the ability to communicate through a hell butterfly to other soul reapers or directly with the kido corps intelligence department when in need of a delimiter or process appropriate requests." The third seated officer explained. Once everyone was done with the branding, the corps commander continued. "A reminder to all of those who will be working in the Special Forces: all orders come from the _soshireikan_. That chief commander is also the _gudanchou_ for the _keigun _—the executive militia and she is also the second division's captain. Unless you are assigned to another captain, your orders will be from Soifon-soshirei and no one else."

The third seated officer began to name each soul reaper in the room and assign them to one of the five divisions of the Special Forces. Yuusuke was sent to the executive militia while Sasuke was transferred to the detention unit. With brief words of encouragement, they said their goodbyes to each other.

Sasuke understood why he was selected for the job. First, soul-cutting blades were forbidden within the area of containment called the maggot's nest, whether it was the staff or prisoners. Secondly, the area underground structure was a bleak environment, as if to tear away at the prisoners' soul and if the guards were not mentally rigid and strong, they would probably succumb to the madness. For Sasuke, this sort of environment had no effect or whatsoever. After all, he had lived in loneliness for five years and at least, the prisoners could walk freely but more importantly converse with one another.

There were times though, some of them found means of escape. Whether it was because another member of the _Onmitsukido_ had a mental breakdown or was careless in locking up an area, the Uchiha was there to pick up the slack and beat any escapees to an inch of their lives if needed to.

Occasionally on his free time, Sasuke would look at his back. His thoughts would come back to the time the branding man scolded him for not removing the tenth division symbol on his back. Such a thing did not make any sense to him. He had never even joined the tenth division before so how was it possible for him to have the rhombus in the first place? Upon looking up the symbol, the Uchiha gave a scoffed laughter at the daffodil, its meaning that of mystery. He would have to dig deeper then to find out how he was connected to that.

Two months later, Sasuke was finally able to meet with his best friend Yuusuke. He was shocked at how fatigued and pale the man was getting. The fox-like eyes and the usual grin remained on his face but they lacked life within them.

"I'm treating you tonight." Sasuke offered.

"That can't be done, Sasuke. You know we're not supposed to leave the division." Yuusuke reminded.

"Who said we were leaving? There's a good bar right at the edge of our area. We'll go there and have a good time. Besides, we're on our technical day off today." The Uchiha reassured. The green-haired man raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Fine, but if we get chewed out, I'm placing all the blame on you." Yuusuke declared.

"Hn. Fine by me."

* * *

The raven-haired soul reaper carefully observed the drinking behavior of his blood brother. He knew Yuusuke wasn't much of a drinker—in fact, he only drank for special occasions but now, he succeeded at downing a bottle to which Sasuke had only poured one for himself.

"I know what you're thinking," Yuusuke said, faced flushed, "that I'm not being myself. Honestly, right here, right now, I don't want to be myself. I just want to 'be', okay?"

"Sure." Sasuke said, opening the second bottle of sake and pouring one for himself and Yuusuke. Knowing his friend well, he would collapse quietly after the last shot.

"You're not going to get far in life with one word sentences, Sasuke." The man drawled.

"I beg to differ." The Uchiha countered, getting Yuusuke to laugh.

"OooOOh...so the Uchiha has a boisterous side as well, huh? Is it because last week, you got a promotion from Soifon-soshirei?"

Sasuke let out a breath of fatigue fog his glass. "That's only because the third seat was killed in action by a renegade Soul Reaper. He killed fifteen of our own and had someone not sent a message to me while I was on my day off, there could've been more."

"Ah-hah!" The intoxicated man pointed with an accusatory finger. "So you admit it! You think you're better than everyone in this hell hole. Tsk, tsk, tsk, Sasuke, where did your modesty go? I should get someone to find it for you. Oooooiiii, someone go get this Uchiha's modesty back!" And with that, he laughed until he sipped his next shot. "The alcohol is saying you're destined for greatness Sasuke. You should embrace promotions, not just pass them like they're an afterthought."

"Greatness, really?" The Uchiha said, drinking his third glass. His blood was warming up and his face was growing red as well but he still had enough sense in his mind to remind mentally that this was the last glass before getting into a drunken stupor like his friend.

"Of course! Don't worry if you don't have a shikai yet. That's gonna come for sure, I know and when that happens, bankai will be a snap and then you'll be so great, the commander-general is gonna have to resign and hand is spot to you." Yuusuke said.

"I'm assuming this is still the alcohol that's doing all of the talking." Sasuke said with a slight grin. Yuusuke stopped grinning, stared at Sasuke ominously and then laughed again.

"Damn right because I'm the one who's gonna do all of that." He said. He then looked at his hands and his gleeful demeanor changed into an abject one. "If I can get the blood off my hands..."

"Yuusuke..." Sasuke called out worryingly. His friend looked at him and for once, the Uchiha could see how really miserable he appeared to be.

"Fifty-nine. I killed fifty-nine Soul Reapers in the last two months. Sometimes, when I wake up, I think I can still see their cries echoing from their blood on my hands. I feel like a total hypocrite. I've killed so many hollows to protect myself and others from harm but I took down lives for nothing; no, only because I cast aside my own sense of self just to follow orders."

"Yuusuke, you can't compare hollows with souls." The raven-haired soul reaper said intently. "Hollows are the symbol of everything human or living soul hate: fear, despair and loneliness. Their instincts can't even be put on par with that on an animal; where they care about their families, hollows obsess over what they lost and can never regain and—

"That's why they try and kill them, I know." The executive militiaman finished. "But I worry that one day, I might lose sight of what I have to accomplish. I heard that some prisoners are incarcerated in the maggot's nest because they turn into uncontrollable killing machines. What if I...what if I go down the wrong path? What if—

Sasuke interrupted Yuusuke's downward spiral with a slap to his cheek. The latter was seized with shock at the violent action while the Uchiha calmly downed the last bit of his drink.

"What was that for?" Yuusuke asked quietly, forcing to give his best friend the benefit of the doubt. The special force prodigy smashed the glass on the floor. He picked up a shard and then made a small cut in his palm.

"Remember Yuusuke? This is the blood brother pact we made three months ago. We swore to each other never to astray from our goals and we drank to each other's oath. If you start walking off your path, then it will be with this right hand that I will pull you back."

Yuusuke stared mouth agape at the gesture his blood brother took to remind him of that day. "Sasuke..."

"And if I ever stray off that path, you will use that same right hand to bring me back. I'm counting on it." The Uchiha said, serene eyes brimming with valor. Yuusuke closed his eyes, drank the last bit of his sake and then firmly nodded in acquiescence.

"Of course! I'm the stronger of the two of us so...you're gonna have to work harder to keep your end of the bargain."

"Indeed." Sasuke replied after his friend fell on the cushion. The waiter came by and Sasuke apologized for the broken glass, overcompensating the bar staff as he picked up Yuusuke, slinked an arm over his shoulder and walked out of the building.

* * *

"Oiiiiiii, Sa-su-ke… are you even listening to me?" Yuusuke drawled. His incoherent speech was not the annoyance the Uchiha was beginning to feel but rather how heavy and hard it was to drag him back to the main second division quarters. So close yet so far.

"Hey Sasuke...you're pretty cute, you know?" Yuusuke whispered into the raven-haired man's ears. The closeness of his strong breath drove Sasuke's nose to twitch uncontrollably.

"Not so close, Yuusuke." The Uchiha said.

"Eeehhh…why? Is it-is it 'cause, hic, people are gonna, hic, start misunderstanding us? Can't blame them. The girls b-back in, hic, the academy would think th-that we'd make a greeaaaat couple." Yuusuke said, adding a giggle afterward. Sasuke had to remind himself it was the alcohol speaking so he decided to ignore the last bit.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, Sasuke! L-look. I'm Bakusuke. Look, look: punk bitch! Hahahaha!"

Sasuke groaned but then lighted at seeing the main quarters. The Uchiha let Yuusuke stand for himself and then pinched his pressure point, knocking him unconscious. Such a move was generally useless on a fully active Soul Reaper but with Yuusuke's fatigued and drunken anatomical composure, it proved to be successful. Before the aforementioned soul reaper fell on the ground, Sasuke replaced the hard ground with his back and grasped his arms behind him, putting Yuusuke into a piggy-back position. From there, all that was needed is figuring out where was Yuusuke's personal room.

Just then, a plump shadow was coming towards Sasuke. The latter was put on guard but when heard the munching and the rummage of a plastic bag, Sasuke relaxed. The figure came into full view, thanks to a lighted candle.

"Huh, what the hell are you doing here at this time of night?" The obese figure said, fried rice cracker bits falling from his mouth.

"Omaeda-fukutaichou, I'm Uchiha Sasuke of the—

"I know who you are, dumbass." Marechiyo Omaeda said. "Everyone in the second division knows the third seated officer. I'm askin' what the hell are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Getting my friend in one piece to his room. He's drunk." Sasuke answered before adding "But the problem is I don't know where it is."

"Who is it? Can't see him well." Omaeda queried.

"Shiori Yuusuke. He's in Soifon-soshirei's unit." The Uchiha answered. At that discovery, the vice-captain let out a long "oh" and then guffawed at the Shiori's drunken state.

"Go back that way, and then make a right. You'll see the men's hot springs. Go past that and then ask the night guard further directions. He knows every soul reaper's room from the first to the third unit by heart." He explained. Sasuke thanked him with a curt nod and then when he took the first step back, he heard a muffled laugh. The Uchiha shrugged off the suspicious giggle as something related to Yuusuke's drunken stupor. Once he went past the first right, he groaned inwardly at his earlier assumption.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

It wasn't the men's hot spring. It was the women and at this time of night, the second division captain, Soifon, was taking her bath there.

"I asked you a question. Are you deaf?" She asked, her deadly tone putting the Uchiha on the spot.

"My apologies, captain. I was looking for my friend's room. I took a wrong turn." Sasuke said. Although the captain was nude, her figure was hidden by the night's dark clouds and the equally darkened waters. In addition, Sasuke could only see her bare back.

"Really? It wasn't that buffoon who purposely led you here?" Captain Soifon queried, the tone mixing with a hint of mirth. Sasuke did not reply. He wasn't the type to tattle tale on ridiculous things, even though at that moment, it could have very well helped him.

"Hmph. You have some nerve. A good one too. Had you told me that it was that fat ass who mislead you, I would've beaten you both senseless." The first seated officer revealed. Then again, it might have not helped the raven-haired soul reaper at all.

"Who's the man you're carrying?" She asked.

"Shiori Yuusuke of the keigun. I simply want to bring him to his room but I don't know where it is." Sasuke said in all honesty.

"Go back where you came from. Enter the automated second door, and then walk left of the hallway. Walk past three shoji doors then enter the fourth one. Walk straight ahead through two more doors and open the room on your left. That's his room." Soifon described accurately, impressing the third seated officer greatly. A woman of such importance remembering the very specific spot where one of her underlings remained: it was either amazing for those outside of the Special Forces or downright frightening for those inside, since it meant that if any of them screwed up, Captain Soifon could find them easily and deal with them.

"If you happen to catch that fatass on your way there, tell him to meet me in at the entrance of the second divison's main quarters." Soifon said, turning her head to Sasuke. The latter stared at her facial figure, illuminated by a brief, pale moonlight. Her hardened, equally jet black eyes and hair, dripping with water caused unease within the Uchiha.

"Yes ma'am." He said, bowing quickly and then leaving with hurried steps. It was only after Sasuke dropped his best friend in his room and left the main quarters that he could've sworn a flying figure screaming for dear life.

* * *

_Four months later..._

Whispers carried out by sporadic winds, brief hushing of the lips and eyes wavering in suspicions: all were factors of believable gossip. In the second division, gossip was common and treated as trash. In the Special Forces, gossip was lifeblood, the means of carrying pieces of critical information and if such gossip was about the possible hand of nobility digging deep into the special forces of the Court of Pure Souls, then it might have been well true. The 'seated officer' term was a legal and perfect cover for the meeting of the respective heads of the five special force corps commanders, who met in the Shihouin mansion under the blanket of the night.

"Tomorrow, we will carry out the mission." Captain Soifon decided. "We have succeeded at interfering with communications between certain high ranking noble households and certain members of the Special Forces, thanks to Kuchiki Byakuya. We have also agreed that this matter must remain confined within our division. There is no need for me to remind you of your oath to secrecy."

"Yes ma'am." All other corps commanders said. The short-haired female captain handed out small, black books to her subordinates. They opened them and saw profiles of all soul reapers and special force operatives within the second division. Sasuke sucked his breath in when he saw Bakusuke's face on it.

"The first and second units have been charged with executing those listed in your books. Clear evidence was shown and pointed to treason and committing felonies by the orders of certain noble houses. Uchiha, you would remember the man who slew the previous corps commander. He was released due to another Soul Reapers who pretended to have been assailed by another after he released the prisoners. You were right in your judgment to come forth with the misconstrued report."

Sasuke merely nodded at the recognition. It might have been his imagination but the captain had lately been a bit more civil towards him than usual. Civil meaning recognizing the hard work Sasuke put into his unit. Nothing more, nothing less.

"The third and fourth units have been charged with appending the felons listed in your books. You are to refrain, if possible, from killing these targets. We need to interrogate them one by one to have further information on what's really going on around here. The fifth unit will combine their intel with the Kido corps' communication lines. We'll be relying on them to provide us with further assistance." Captain Soifon further explained.

"Lastly, each book has been separated with color coded pages. Profiles printed on red pages mean that those Soul Reapers must be eliminated at all costs. Pink pages mean they are subjected to elimination but if the opportunity and, or possibility shows up, capture them. Either way, they'll be executed. White pages mean those Soul Reapers must be captured at all costs. They are to be interrogated later and depending on what we find out about them, they might be acquitted, imprisoned or downright executed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai!" They all responded. Sasuke silently thanked the heavens. Bakusuke was on a white page.

"Today, at the hour of the _Akatsuki_, mobilize your units. We strike."

* * *

War is hell. Whereas book depicted war as a glorious thing, there was nothing beautiful about the decay of limbs, the carnal feast on corpses by crows, the haunting screams and the loss of life. Death had never made anything beautiful, it didn't do it now and it would never do so in the future.

That is what Uchiha Sasuke concluded after the third hour of the mission. He was outwardly calm, cunning, calculating and precise but his mind wracked in worry about Yuusuke and Bakusuke. There still hadn't been any sign of them. His unit moved swiftly and rapidly, taking the listed ones down skillfully with minor casualties. Occasionally, they had run-ins with red and pink paged profiled Soul Reapers and were forced to kill them. Sasuke wasn't apt to do such a thing but he quickly learned that exempting himself of such measure and attempting to subdue the target with force sometimes did not pay off, especially if such target killed as many as twenty soul reapers with the swipe of their released zanpakuto.

Sasuke was a demon, apparently to some of his subordinates. His menacing, Sharingan-flaring eyes, combined with his lightning-paced flash steps and occasionally striking down his targets with rapid, few hits and moving onto another like it was nothing left his unit members sometimes standing with mouth agape with nothing do to but to chain the piles of unconscious bodies with soul-negating stones.

The Uchiha put two fingers into the air and whistled; signaling the kido corps members to pick up the prisoners with authorized teleportation spells. Suddenly, a volley of arrows was coming down upon Sasuke's unit. He had not noticed the aerial assault and crunched his body into a defensive stance. The arrows never touched him. Instead, he heard several clanking metal sounds and saw the arrows on the ground.

"You have to be more careful, Sasuke. Geez, how am I supposed to introduce my sister to a dead man?" The familiar, snobbish tone was heard. Sasuke rose up to see Yuusuke standing confidently with Sansaime hoisted on his shoulder. He then brought his hand to the umbrella's base and withdrew the confined blade.

"_Namikaze_!" The punishment force operative commanded, releasing a waving, rapid mass of water to his opponents. As if the crushing weight of the water wasn't enough, the wave was then put into inert motion, drowning those who managed to survive. It was a cruel technique but a necessary evil to protect order and justice within Soul Society.

"You okay? Yuusuke asked, sounding weary.

"Yeah. Are you—hey!" Sasuke said, pointing at the arrow planted on Yusuke's shoulder. The latter just shrugged it off.

"Who kills Soul Reapers with that sort of thing? He said conceitedly. "Unless that thing it you square in the middle of your eyes, you'd could have it on for days and you'd still be up and running."

"Yuusuke..." The Uchiha said in warning tone.

"I know, _mother_, I'm not invincible. Be a dear and remove it from me please?" The fox-faced man said, grinning. Sasuke would've loved to punch the guy for his insolence but he was glad to just see him, even if he didn't outwardly show it. He removed the arrow and then applied basic healing kido.

"Oh, that feels pretty good. Its easy to forget the basic stuff like this when you get better at being a soul reaper." Yuusuke admitted.

"We shouldn't but right now isn't the time to mull over that. I haven't heard from intel how many people are remaining. Plus, I still haven't gotten in touch with Bakusuke." Sasuke said. Yuusuke clenched his fist and became crestfallen.

"About that...I'm sorry Sasuke. Bakusuke's dead." He said. The Sharingan pupils dilated in shock.

"What? How?" Sasuke asked.

"I made it my business to find Bakusuke. I had no intention of killing him. I found him and wanted to talk to him before sending him your way but right before he could tell why he was listed, a subordinate of mine killed him. I'm sorry."

"Damn it!" Sasuke spat. He was so angry and sad at the same time. He hadn't known the man as long as Yuusuke but he had known enough to be friends. "Damn it!" His mouth repeated again. The worst was he had met him a month ago and the potty-mouthed Soul Reaper had promised Sasuke that he was going to give him his own, limited edition copy of the "Tales of the Gallant Soul Reaper."

"I should've just knocked him out and send him to the detention squad. At least, he would've still been alive." Yuusuke said. Guilt was making a wreck out of him and Sasuke could see that.

"We'll… we'll talk about this later. Right now, we have to focus on this. The sooner we end this, the sooner we can try to get over our grief and give our apology to our friend."

"Yeah… to think that last time he called me a girly-man and I put _makibishi_ spikes on his bed. If letting him call me that one more time just so he could live again, I would." Yuusuke said. Suddenly, another salvo of arrows came from the deepened woodsy area. Yuusuke mentioned to his blood brother to stand behind him. The umbrella-carrying soul reaper slashed the air in a horizontal motion. A dampened gale of dew blew the arrows away.

"_Ameshinsou!_" Yuusuke commanded. The dew rose into the air and then turned into needles of water. Sasuke could hear the cries of pain and agony coming from their assailants. Just as he was about to go and identify who initiated the ambush, he felt Yuusuke's body slump on his back.

"Yuusuke?" Sasuke called out, a malaise bulging in his stomach. A closer examination on Yuusuke blew the bulge into a spread out fear. Thick veins swelled over Yuusuke's face and his throat. Blue blemishes grew under his eyelids and his body began to spasm uncontrollably.

"Yuusuke!" Sasuke cried out. His friend's eyes were wide open and his green pupils were going backwards, panicking the raven-haired soul reaper. Why was Yuusuke in such condition? The answer was given when the Uchiha picked up an arrow and looked at the tip.

"Oh my god..." Sasuke whispered. A drop of a blue, viscous liquid dripped from the arrow's tip, evidently showing that it was poisoned. Abruptly, the spasmodic behavior came to an end. The panicked man's heart skipped a beat for a moment. He looked at his blood brother, whose eyes returned to their normal position, although still widened. Yuusuke tried to sit up but then jerked back, coughing up dark, blue blood. The shaking of his body returned, but not as violent as before. Yuusuke gripped on the helm of his friend's black kosode.

"S-Sasuke!" He said. Even the name was hard for him to pronounce. Blood was coughed up once more, splattering the Uchiha's face. The latter couldn't not care less about that; his friend was dying and he knew it. "Sasuke...my sister...my sister! Aack! Sasuke, its dark! I can't see you!"

"I'm here! Don't talk. I'm using my kidou to heal you." He urged, teeth biting his lower lip. Why was the damn technique failing at a time like this?

"Uugh... Sasuke… my sister. Please… my sister… pro… her…"

Yuusuke's arm limped and a final breath escaped from his body. The body grew colder and heavier on Sasuke's lap but the raven-haired soul reaper refused to give up on his best friend, his blood brother.

"_Gudanchou!"_A soul reaper voiced behind him. "We have the list of the remainder of targets. I'll… I'll just leave it here beside you."

Sasuke deduced that the man was a kido corp agent, seeing as usually, a special force agent would've just kept tugging at Sasuke for next orders and be completely insensitive of the situation. The Uchiha's hand reached out for the book. He memorized all the remaining targets, and then he rose up, _reiryoku_ flaring with cold fury.

The Sharingan's field of vision became clearer and he could see the colored spiritual energies in the area dancing like flames.

He was going to extinguish those flames…

One…

By…

One.

* * *

Captain Soifon was being led by a member of the third unit towards the so-called _'emergency'_. Had it not for the outright look of fear in the man's eyes, she would've broken at least three bones in his body but then again, it was incredibly rare for a covert operative in _her_ unit to panic so.

When she got there, the area was incredibly quiet. There was not a single sound at all, just a vast, overwhelming emptiness. The idea of forgiving the panicked subordinate finally came through when she sensed a disturbing _reiatsu_. She had never sensed anything quite like it in her entire life. She had sensed human souls, living souls, soul reapers and different type of hollows but even she couldn't help but say:

"What the hell is that?"

Suddenly, a body came out flying from the arborous region and landed four feet away from Soifon. When she looked down, the head was missing and the body had been mutilated in five random—no, well struck places, specifically, the vital points of the body. Then, the disturbing _reiatsu_ she had been sensing came out.

A murder of crows gave loud, throaty caws at his entrance as he suddenly appeared. Blood tainted his bangs and the tip of his black hair. His uniform suffered the same fate, being tattered and mucked with mud and blood. Even his face was dyed in splattered red color and the morning red dawn only helped but accentuate the blackened eyes but crimson, _tomoe_-marked pupils. In his right hand was a zanpaktou, its blade covered in still fresh blood from its hilt to the tip, drops of the crimson liquid falling from the tip of the blade.

Held by the hair in the grimed up Soul Reaper's left hand, however, was the head of the dead body.

He took several steps forward, approaching the group of _Onmitsukido_ agents and Soifon, the Soul Reapers paralyzed by a pure sense of fear they felt when they felt the crippling _reiatsu _which emanated from the Soul Reaper before them.

Captain Soifon gulped and an anxious bead of sweat fell from her temple pore as the bloody man stopped feet away from her. He looked up at her, his crimson eyes staring into her own.

"_Mission __complete_." He said in quiet, almost ghost-like voice.

She was slowly reaching for her zanpakuto when the man fell to his knees, his pupils reverting to an onyx nocturnal color. The strange _reiatsu_ dissolved and returned to a familiar one she recognized.

"Uchiha Sasuke..."

* * *

_Maggot's Nest, twenty-nine hours later..._

Escorted by two of the third unit's staff, Soifon was directed to the newest prisoner's cell. She entered it, taking a seat across prisoner number 256. Each elbow was on each knee, hands clasped together, and covering up to her nose. Her murderous gaze would've normally put anyone in jitters but the prisoner was not like any other she met.

Especially if said prisoner was positioned exactly like her, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Uchiha Sasuke, at the time when all units were informed there were one hundred and thirteen collective felons, you've killed twenty-seven white-coded Soul Reapers and fifteen covert operatives, six pink coded operatives and thirty-two red-coded operatives. I wouldn't have minded the numbers _if_ you had spared the white-coded targets who were needed for interrogation of the investigation. You should be put under court-martial and then executed for failing to heed instructions of your superior and indiscriminately slaying potentially innocent Soul Reapers and _Onmitsukido_ agents. How do you plead for yourself?"

There was no reply from the Uchiha. All she was answered with was a cold, dead gaze from Sasuke. Captain Soifon reclined in her swivel chair and crossed a leg over the other.

"Shiori Yuusuke, was it? According to my records, you two have been friends since back in the academy. With what you have done, do you understand now my policies concerning recruits who might have ties such as friendship or love with another? It's terrible for work ethics within the _Onmitsukido_. Really, I should fire the man who ever recruited you. It was a mistake." Soifon said. Sasuke had never shifted his gaze away from the captain the whole time she'd been there. If looks could kill, Soifon would've returned the attempt in spades with her own glare.

"Honestly, concepts such as friendship, camaraderie or bonds are useless. It is those very things that restrain us from the greater task at hand. I should—

"Is that you tell yourself at night to make you sleep better?"

"What was that?" Soifon queried back, eyes narrowed dangerously on Sasuke, who looked into her eyes with such a cold gaze that it nearly took her off guard.

"Maybe you don't care at all, but there are no living beings that hadn't experience at least one of those things you mentioned to a certain extent. Maybe if you lost those things like I did, then you'd understand a little more of my hatred." Sasuke said gravely. The second division's first seated officer mulled over what the Uchiha said for a few seconds before coming with a reply of her own.

"I _did_ lose those things once, and that's opened my eyes. That's why I can understand your hatred. If I didn't, I wouldn't even have bothered coming here and talk to you. I may be cold and ruthless, but I can understand emotions as well. However, that's not what I'm here to talk about." The 2nd Division captain said. "I'm here to reinstate you into your original position."

"What?" Sasuke said, doing a double-take.

"If there's one thing I respect in this world, its diligence, talent and skill. Nothing more. Nothing less. You possess these qualities and I need those for the ongoing investigation." Soifon said, standing up. She opened the cell and exited it.

"But first, I need you to be empty. The guards will allow you to leave within an hour. Take the day off, say your peace and then come back to the 2nd Division. I'll be waiting." She said and then after taking another step, she turned to him once more.

"Remember Sasuke, the tears you will shed will not be for yourself, but for your fallen comrades."

* * *

The hill allowed him to oversee the entire town Yuusuke had once lived in. It also allowed him to see the plain hill, a spot his blood brother had once coveted.

_"One day, I'll quit the Onmitsukido and then you, sis and I will live there. We'll both help you look for your memories."_

_"Me?"_

_"Of course. To whom do you think my sister will get married to? Did you really think I sent her all these letters and talked about you in them for nothing?"_

_"At least ask my permission first, you stupid idiot!"_

_"Who are you calling a stupid idiot? I'm doing you a favor. Every girl in the 2__nd__ Division thinks you're swinging __**that**__ way."_

_"Maybe they wouldn't think it if you hadn't said certain things when you were drunk."_

_"Eh? What did I say? Hey Sasuke, you told me the next day I didn't say anything. You bold-faced liar. L-I-A-R!"_

Sasuke took the zanpakuto and raised it to the heavens as if it were an offering.

_"Happy birthday, Sasuke!"_

_"Birthday? I don't have such a thing."_

_"Of course you do. You were born someday, right? If you're not going to celebrate it, who else is going to?"_

_"You just want a day off."_

_"How did you know?"_

_"I didn't."_

_"Damn…"_

Sasuke sunk the sword at the hill's edge. He looked at it, losing himself into the memories its carrier and him used to have.

_"Don't worry Sasuke. You'll get your memories one day."_

_"I know that."_

_"I know. Just wanted to make sure you didn't forget that too."_

_"I won't. Even if I did, you won't let me."_

_"Got that right."_

Something was falling. He looked up but the skies hadn't darkened at all. He saw a droplet fall on the sword's hilt.

_"Just saw Bakusuke. Still can't understand him."_

_"Can anyone do?"_

_"Maybe we should get Zennosuke."_

_"He's in the Thirteenth Diviison right now… I wonder how she's doing…"_

_"Whoah, whoah, whoah…who's this 'she'?"_

_"No one."_

_"You liar. Don't give me that "I'm bored" look. Wait, let me guess: it's your secret lover."_

_"You're delusional."_

_"How tragic. My sister's going to get married to you. How am I supposed to resolve this love triangle?'_

_"I'll say it again: you're delusional."_

The drops tasted like salt. A hand went over to his face, wiping the stream that was leaving his eye.

_"Huff…huff…one more time!"_

_"Don't push yourself, Yuusuke."_

_"I have too. There's too much riding on this for me to lose."_

_"Then how about this: you lose to me again and you'll have no choice but to let me treat you to dinner."_

_"That's not much of a deal…but I accept! Defend yourself, my brother!"_

_"Likewise!"_

That's when he realized he was crying. The gentle streams that fell from his blurred eyes fell from his face like the rhythmic sound of rain.

_"Sasuke…my sister…"_

_"Don't talk. It's going to be okay."_

_"My sister…protect her…protect her for me."_

_"I won't do it, because you will."_

_"Sasuke…my sister…"_

As the tears fell on the hilt of his blood brother's soul-cutting blade, he swore that he would accomplish the unfulfilled desires of Yuusuke. "Brother…"

_"Save her... give her... happiness... "_

_"Yuusuke!"_

_"And then... and then... find... your own... happiness..."_

* * *

_**Shinigami Fanfipedia - Hosted by Yuusuke**_

"Yuusuke here. What's to know about Sansaime? A true secret force operative never tells buit then again, I am dead so..."

Author "..."

"..."

"Ahem. Anyways, Sansaime is a water and wind based zanpakuto. The umbrella is actually heavy and I can use it to either attack or defend myself. Its also useful for making my opponents think that's my main weapon and then use the element of surprise to withdraw the sword from the shaft and attack."

"Sansaime's techniques are _Namikaze-_windwave-and _Ameshinsou-_Rain god's spear. With _Namikaze_, I can create a huge pool of water with enough force to break bones and if that doesn't finish my opponent's off, I can shrink the pool of water to create an inescapable abyss where they'll drown. _Ameshinshou_ is a released cloud of dew that then turns into a multitude of needles that can cover a large area. I think I pretty much covered everything."

Author: Thanks Yuusuke and a thank you to those who supported this OC and Bakusuke as well.

Bakusuke: Damn. I was hopin' you'd forget me so I'd come and kick your big kahuna.

Author: Like hell I can forget you. You literally live right next door.

Bakusuke: Oh yeah, yeah. I remember. Heh heh.

Author and Yuusuke: Dumbass.


	21. The Rebirth of the Avenger

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles**

* * *

Life had its delicacies and for each living person, it always differed. For some, it was spending alone time with their idol, for others it was sitting quietly reading or writing. Others contended themselves with just drinking booze whenever they had the chance, others tried sleeping during mid-day, hoping they'd grow a couple of inches. Some preferred beating the life out of each other for sport and others created contests to see who would win the favor of their superior. For some, nothing was more thrilling than the advancement of science by doing experiments and others, it was eating as much candy as they could. For those fancy of food, Marechiyo Omaeda loved his fried rice crackers. Picking one out of the bag, eating it, letting the crumbs drop, licking his fingers; every second was a delicacy and nothing was going to ruin it.

"Hyaah!"

"Uooh!"

Except the ever-so rising presence of Uchiha Sasuke. There was something he just didn't like about him. Actually there were many things he didn't like about him. For starters, it appeared as if wherever Captain Soifon was he was there as well, quickly building a reputation of being her protégé. In fact, that wasn't the only moniker he gained. After leading the first part of the investigation concerning the possible corruption between noble houses and the _Onmitsukido_, he became infamously known as the _**Onimusha,**_ a nickname he'd gain after many Soul Reapers seen his Sharingan and his demonic-like appearance. Wherever he went, eyes would astray from him out of fearful respect.

Another thing he didn't like was that Sasuke was always being mistaken for the vice-captain. It even came down to a day when a messenger from the Kuchiki house came up to him and asked for the vice-captain. When the messenger looked at him and then peered over to Sasuke and Soifon and then again at Omaeda, it became clear in the messenger's eyes that he was doubting him.

Lo and behold, the Uchiha was there again, sparring with the captain in the Shihouin training grounds. Not that there was anything wrong with training but the vice-captain boiled over the fact that for the first time in a little over half a century, the captain was training _inside_ the Shihouin training grounds with a single member of the _Onmitsukido_. Her usual training spot was outside, with at least twenty or more operatives.

_What the hell does she sees in that loser_, the plump noble thought. He wasn't even of noble birth. In fact, this was probably the main reason he hated Uchiha Sasuke. While anyone could join the second division, only those of noble births were usually allowed to enter the _Onmitsukido_. Yet here was this man who had seemed to come out of literally nowhere, rising up the ranks quickly, earning fame and prestige and even the attention of the aloof and cold blooded Soifon. Not like he cared about his captain that much. Sure, she was beautiful and smart and strong but those were usually the kind of traits that expressed in volumes that no one would ever get close to her, especially after the incident involving the twenty-second head of the Shihouin house.

Still, he had to admit, the Uchiha was _good,_ and by good, he meant that if it ever came between him and a fight with the genius, even he wasn't sure he could win, shikai or not. After all, this was the man who had scored over two hundred kills in the last six months, the high numbers partly due to _that_ mission and kept order within the maggot's nest all the while retaining his sanity. This is where the final reason of his hate for Sasuke was born. With all the talks of the third corps commander's skill and praise, there were rumors of a possible promotion to the second seat.

His position; it was simply unthinkable. Vice-Captain Marechiyo Omaeda losing his seat to some..._commoner_? Inconceivable, unthinkable, undo-able. There was no possible way for him to attain that rank. His family had made sure of that. His ability to use the initial release had secured his position. His record justified his rank.

Still, seeing the captain and the Uchiha fighting as if they were almost of equal skill put a seed of doubt within his certainty. The word_ 'strong'_ did not do Captain Soifon justice. Virtually skilled in all forms of combat, it was an equal amazement to see Sasuke on par with her-and she was actually trying to put the beat-down on him. They were like superimposing blurs in mid-air, countering, punching, kicking, dodging and repeating this loop without either of them giving an inch. Of course, this evenness was thanks to the Sharingan. Sasuke hadn't really increased his combat speed but rather, the speed at which he was reacting to the equally raven-haired female soul reaper's art of combat.

Omaeda watched as Soifon, sweat running down the exposed back of her kosode, landing a successful split kick on the Uchiha's chin. Just as the vice-captain was about to inwardly cheer for the hit, Sasuke reappeared behind Soifon, palm fixated in a thrusting pose at the nape of her neck.

"The cicada technique, huh? Seems you have gotten better at it." She said, watching intently with the corner of her calculating eye.

"It feels... nostalgic." Sasuke replied. He was mastering these techniques that gave him an incredible sense of familiarity, as if he had done them before.

"Oh really?" Soifon queried sarcastically. "Are you sure you just don't want to place your reasoning on the Sharingan's adoptive skill memory?" With that said she dropped just under the poised hand, backed up one step, and then flipped frontwards, slamming the heel of her foot on the Uchiha's back. The former fell until he hit the sandy terrace. Right before he could get up, he was slammed down once more by the captain's foot on his back.

"You're getting too conceited, Uchiha." She said, a small wicked smile appearing on her lips. "Those eyes of yours will do you no good if your body cannot keep up with them. Remember that while you're eating this sand."

With one final thump of her foot on his back, she walked away, leaving Sasuke to spit out the sand out of his mouth. Omaeda would've normally chuckled at his sight but somehow, his mirth didn't come through. Instead, a sense of dread lumped in his stomach.

He wasn't imagining it: Captain Soifon really was giving Sasuke her undivided attention.

* * *

A fair trade it was for Sasuke when he revealed to his captain the secrets of his crimson eyes in exchange for personal tutelage. After learning what he could do and personally witnessing the abilities, Soifon had made it her mission to train this skilled killing machine into a perfect one. Indeed, she had plans to make him her protégé and this time, she was absolutely certain it would work. Why? Because Sasuke was a blank slate and by her definition, a blank slate was one who had ties to no one. Looking at his record, Soifon discovered that the Uchiha came from southern Rukon district seventy nine. His actual first friend was Shiori Yuusuke, a lower nobleman who died a month ago and it was thanks to his death that now Sasuke shunned all forms of friendship and was strictly seeking one thing:

Vengeance.

Vengeance upon those who began the Special Force corruption affair, vengeance upon the one who sought to marry the sister of the dead punishment force operative and future vengeance on all who would disrupt the peace and order of Soul Society. Sasuke the vindicator. It had a nice ring to it.

And this is what exactly what Soifon needed in a protégé. Not some silly notions of camaraderie, not someone whose loyalty could shift at any moment because they belonged to a noble house, not someone whose growth skill was as slow as snail's pace. Sasuke was the epitome of everything she hated and she loved it. She loved his cold eyes, his brooding face, his near, inability to be taken by the element of surprise, his swift, merciless justice upon those who broke the law.

As for Sasuke, he deemed that having ties with people was too risky. The experience of having lost someone he held close to him was so strong that he feared if he ever experienced it again, it would break him apart and so, he decided to lose himself into one thing only, the only thing that seemed to comfort him, the only thing that reassured him:

Power.

It was powerlessness that led to the death of Yuusuke. It was powerlessness that lead to the death of Bakusuke. That night, had he done what he was supposed to do verbatim, then perhaps Yuusuke would have lived and maybe Bakusuke would have lived. Instead, he wasted time trying to 'defeat' single-handedly as many as he could, wanting to avoid the loss of life.

Yet Yuusuke was now dead, and the nobles who had instigated the affair were most likely eating their hearts out in comfort and glee, probably laughing the entire thing as a mere setback. Lord Hiruma, one noble suspected of having a hand in the mess, was most likely eyeing the undefiled sister of his blood brother.

Heaven, Earth and Hell would all have to freeze over before he was going to let that happen. As heretical as it sounded, even God himself would have to step in to stop this newly-birthed avenger.

Sharingan pupils eyed the object of his desires, the one stemming with power: Captain Soifon. Graceful, agile, ruthless, skilled and most importantly, powerful. If his entire body needed to be ravaged by her to obtain strength, then he would welcome it with doors to his empty heart wide open.

"One more time, Captain!" He yelled, dusting the last bit of sand out of his new uniform. No dramatic changes really, just the sleeves shortened a little under his elbows, the kosode now sporting a collar that was zipped up all the way to his neck. Baggy pants, dark skirt, knot belt and leg length sandals remained.

"Who said I was finished with you?" The second division captain said. "You know me already, Uchiha: you're training session never ends until I've properly demolished you."

* * *

Hanataro Yamada felt sick on the inside again as he gently rubbed with an antiseptic cloth, the deep grazes and bruises of Uchiha Sasuke. It was like this every single day. Uchiha Sasuke would be carried on a stretcher by two soul reapers over to him, bloodied and battered and he would have to treat the wounds for at least two and a half hours and that was only if Captain Soifon held back. If she didn't, the third seated officer would usually either have a broken hand or arm or his rib cage shattered in three or four places. How could anyone suffer such brutality made the worrywart medic all the more afraid everyday of the Uchiha.

He could remember the day when his captain came over to him and told him that he was going to be hired by the second division as an in-house nurse. When Captain Unohana informed him that it was for an indefinite time, Hanataro had spent the day preparing his own funeral rites, said his 'final' goodbyes to his coworkers and then headed for the second division. Of course, he had tried to reason with his captain that it was suicide but when he learned that the head of the Special Forces would pay triple the amount of what was usually given; he knew that there was no chance the single-braided woman to pass up such an opportunity. After all, she had complained and requested many times funding for the lack of supplies and the overwork of her staff to the _sotaicho_.

"Just do what you're told." Sasuke managed to whisper behind the swelled, bruised lips. Hanatarou sighed. Work was work, no matter why, where, when and who he was working on.

* * *

Three hours later, Sasuke was good and ready. There were still traces of injuries marking his face such as the scar on his chin and the light, bluish taint on his right eyelid but with the pill he had swallowed, the medic had promised they would go away within another half hour. He was headed for the meeting room when his eye finally took notice of his surroundings. Time and time again, he had gone past the Shihouin library but he had never batted an eye over it. Curiosity and the ample essence of time got the better of him.

The library was nothing like he had presumed it to be. The grand structure with stained-glasses and the chandeliers hanging in rows from the golden-painted ceilings gave the room an aristocratic decor. Classy bookshelves rowed scarcely on the marble floors indicated that several people at one time could search together whatever information they were seeking. The books were catalogued mostly in the history and backgrounds of high noble houses of Soul Society, as well as further information on the affluent industries working within the Court of Pure Souls as well as the Rukon districts.

However, none of that mattered to Sasuke. He had only stepped in to satisfy his curiosity and that was it. To him, all of the information recorded in those books was as irrelevant as they could get. As he was rounding up a bookshelf corner in order to make his exit, his eye stopped on a lone book at the back of the room. An indent on the wall had been purposely made so that it could hold in a single book. The Uchiha scoffed at the idea that someone would deliberately make it appear as if it were a contraption made so that when one would pull out the book, something would happen.

Still, he tried it and as he thought, nothing happened. Still he wondered why anyone would put a book in that single wall dent. He opened the book and found the pages blank. Only when he reached the last page did something of interest catch his eye.

It was fan. A red and white fan, just like the image on his original kosode he used to have. Sasuke thought he was seeing things but the drawing was there. He mused over the discovery. He was certain that this symbol was not part of any military faction of Seireitei. Captain Soifon had seen his tattoo but she never made any mention of it. In fact, she actually ridiculed it, insulting the Uchiha by commenting that young people would never cease to amaze her at how stupid they could be. No one ever made mention of it too.

Yet, here it was, plain on paper. He was certain the captain had gone through all of these books, including this one. Had she closed the book before seeing the last page? It was a possibility. Considerations aside, Sasuke wondered what he was supposed to do with this book. Obviously it was connected to him but they were only blank pages.

_A good shinobi must always see underneath the underneath_, he could remember that silver-haired man in his memories instructing. It was a long shot but he decided to go with it. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke was met again with white pages. However, after getting back to the first page, he saw a drawing that had not been there before. It depicted a bookcase and six books removed from it in different places. Below that drawing, he saw the fourth chandelier located at the back of the room with the candle lights missing and finally, on the third picture, it showed a drop of blood from cut thumb falling on the hardcover page of the book he held. Clearly, all those three drawings were instructions.

It only took a full minute for Sasuke to do all that the book depicted. Once he placed the book back in the indent, the wall began to distort itself, bending in a swirl of colors before giving shape to a dark space hole. The eerie, unnatural air it emanated put Sasuke on his guard. It was enticing him to come, almost coaxing him and at the same time, ominously warning him that whatever was beyond this dimensional hole could very well spell the end of his life. There was no fear, only doubt and intrigue within the Uchiha's heart. It was evident that someone had gone to great length to hide this secret, a secret connected with his own, personal symbol. He backed up a few steps and then leaped into the hole.

"It's clear now..." The words whispered from his breath. Two candles, each resting in dragon statue mouths illuminated the giant depiction of his power: the Sharingan. It was drawn to cover a great portion of the brick wall and the dancing flames made the artwork stringent, foreboding and overwhelming in its hidden message. The hole centered on the tomoe trinity housed an object he had almost forgotten about:

A crimson sphere. Sasuke hovered to it and then without hesitation took a hold of it. Memories flowed within his mind and like before, he could not remember having been there to experience them but he was absolutely sure they were his. Suddenly, his body jerked back, not in pain but in a rush of adrenaline-pumped, pleasurable power. It felt too good to be innocent. It rather felt...sinful.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he was back in the library. The dimensional hole was gone, the fourth chandelier's candle lights were back on and the books had been replaced to their original positions. In Sasuke's hand, the crimson sphere was now devoid of whatever it had and just like that time during his awakening with Urahara, it shattered into innumerable pieces, the shards simply dissolving into nothingness.

"Uchiha! What the hell are you doing?" The grumbling voice of the obese vice-captain said, snapping Sasuke out of his trance. He turned around and instantly, a shaky finger was pointed at him. "Oye, what the hell happened to your eyes?"

Frowning out of curiosity, Sasuke whipped out his sword and looked at the reflection it pointed: His Sharingan had become a design of three red, intersecting ellipses on black irises. It then returned to its red irise, tomoe triad.

"Nothing. You're just seeing things." Sasuke said, making his way out, passing by a sweaty Marechiyo.

* * *

"...and so, Eikichiro Saido will be in charge of the fourth unit. Any questions?" Soifon asked.

"How did you know the previous fourth unit was a double agent?" The vice-captain queried. The first seated officer smirked in her usual wicked fashion.

"I had my eyes on the fool for quite some time but he was very cautious in everything he did, just like a good covert operative should. What gave him away was the early mobilization of my unit on that day. He was not expecting that and he was caught red handed. The only downside to his death was that someone else had gotten to him before I could get any information from him." Soifon revealed. "But that no longer matters. As of this moment, the case is closed."

Stupefied gasp were heard from the second to fifth seated officer. "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"It means that, by the edict of Central Forty-Six, we are no longer allowed to investigate the matter." Soifon said.

"B-But why?" the newly appointed fourth seated officer asked.

"_Because_ Saido-_sanseki_, Central Forty-Six said so and what they said goes. If anyone wants to question their authority right here, right now, let them stand up and be suject to disciplinary measures at the hands of the judicial system." The captain snapped. Her eyes brimmed with murder. "Anyone want a go at that? Please, go ahead and do so. I'll be _honored_ to deliver _justifiable_ sanctions."

Suddenly, the oak tree meeting table looked very interesting to the four other seated officers. So much so that even Marechiyo wished he could contemplate it from down under.

"Good. Now, go on and attend to your duties. Meeting dismissed!" Soifon declared. As they were heading out of the room, she eyed Sasuke knowingly and he acquiesced the gesture. There was going to be another meeting but it would involve only the two of them.

* * *

_**Kuchiki House Estate, Ceremonial Tea Chamber**_

Rukia finished the last procedure for ceremonial tea-making. She gracefully served her brother, the gesture worthy of a true noblewoman. Byakuya sipped the tea, eyes closed to gain a deeper sense of serenity. When he opened his eyes again, he put the cup down and bowed respectively.

"You have gotten skilled, Rukia. It pleases me." He said without revealing any emotion on his face. Rukia was a different story, eyes brimming with admiration and respect.

"Really, nii-sama? I-I still do not think I am as good as you say though." She said, bowing her head respectfully.

"Do not let it bother you. You have come far. In fact, you will see for yourself the results of your practice tomorrow." He said, creating a cloud of puzzlement for his adopted sister to hover upon.

"I… I don't think I understand." She finally said. Lord Kuchiki stood up.

"Tomorrow, Captain Soifon of the second division will be coming here for a meeting. Usually, the tea ceremony would not be needed for such an event; however, it will include another high ranking noble." The prestigious captain said.

Rukia raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Pardon my boldness and my ignorance but Captain Soifon will most likely come with an attendant right? Would it be that vice-captain?"

In all good honesty, had the older Kuchiki weren't bound by his own aristocratic personality, he would've laughed. He clearly understood what Rukia meant. "No, he will not be coming. Aesthetically speaking, it would be an affront to me to come with a lower ranked officer, however, the noble that is coming not only supports this seated officer but he has mentioned for me to do likewise. Ergo, you will not only be at my side for this meeting, but you will do the Kuchiki household great honor by serving us tea."

It was only when Byakuya left the room that Rukia fell on her bottom, feeling no pain due to the cushion of the tatami mats. The pressure she felt was enormous. It wasn't bad enough that she would be serving her brother, the head of one of the Four Great Noble Houses of the Court of Pure Souls but she was going to serve another high ranked noble, another captain of the Gotei Thirteen and her adjutant.

Sometimes, wanting to please her brother was a curse.

* * *

_**Shinigami Omake**_

"Look! Look! It's the _Onimusha_!"

"Fool, don't look. You'll be cursed forever."

"There's a rumor he can kill you with his bare eyes."

"Dumbass, your eyes are always bare."

"That's not the point!"

Sasuke and Captain Soifon were passing by, discussing certain key assignments. While Sasuke was oblivious to the pitter-patter, Soifon was getting annoyed. As she was passing by a gift store, a cruel idea entered her head.

"Wait for me here."

She entered the shop, waited purposely until she could see from afar soul reapers crowding from afar behind Sasuke. That's when she decided on her item, handed the cash, walked out and then handed what she had bought to Sasuke.

"Wear this. When I point behind you, that's when you'll turn around." She ordered. Sasuke was confused by her decree but he did not question it. When he wore the item in question, Soifon backed away, pretending to have a frightened expression on her face. She could see the Soul Reapers behind Sasuke already blanching. _Perfect, and now, for the final blow._

"O-O-Onimusha..." She whispered and then pointed. Sasuke turned around and the effect was instantaneous. Mouths foamed, bowels discharged and haunting screams could be heard from a mile away. Sasuke blinked in sheer perplexity. He removed the _Hannya_ mask and then turned to his captain, who happened to sport a small, devilish smirk.

"Captain..." Sasuke began "...you're cruel."

* * *

_**Wolf's Honour:** _ _There you go everyone, Chapter 21. Next chapter will be out by next Monday._


	22. The Lonely Path of the Avenger

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

_**Reiryoku**_**: spiritual energy, power**

_**Reiatsu**_**: spiritual pressure**

_**Reishi**_**: spiritual particles.**

* * *

The day of the meeting had came all too quick.

Rukia Kuchiki's attendants made final arrangements on her satin, white, floral designed _junihitoe _– a twelve layered robe. Her opinion of the dress was favorable but every time she glanced at the mirror, she couldn't help but think how it didn't suit her. Perhaps it was because of her daily duties as a Soul Reaper, forcing her to wear the black kimono that she had gotten used to. Nevertheless, she knew this was not the time to be fussy about what she should be wearing—instead, she should have felt honored that her lord brother was giving her not only his trust to perform the ceremonial tea well, but to welcome with the most humblest of gestures the visitors that would be arriving.

"Lady Rukia, the guests have arrived." One of her attendants informed her.

Speak of the devil.

Rukia traversed the halls of the Kuchiki House's main estate with elegance seen only in noble-born ladies, arriving at the main entrance. There she made eye contact with the 2nd Division's Captain, who was dressed in her uniform with her white shihakusho. The woman's eyes were cold and hard, making Rukia grimace slightly.

When Rukia glanced to the captain's second standing at her side, she stifled a gasp. Standing at Captain Soifon's side, clothed in a dark blue kimono with a lilac motif, was none other than Uchiha Sasuke. Her eyes became fixated on the young Soul Reaper, who walked and held his head in such a dignified manner, that it could rival her own brother and those of the nobility. She shook her head slightly, mentally berating herself for almost forgetting her role and bowed her head in respect to her guests.

"It is an honor to have you here, Captain Soifon. Please this way."

Soifon only gave her a curt nod. Rukia then took the lead and led them inside to the meeting chamber where her lord brother awaited.

'* * *'

Both Soifon and Sasuke took their seats on velvet cushions on one side of a black marble table with the Kuchiki House's sigil imprinted in white in the center. Facing across from them was Kuchiki Byakuya, the head of House Kuchiki and Rukia's older brother. The guest of honor had yet to arrive so those present kept silent with eyes closed in meditation. The absence of the awaited guest and their shut eyes relieved a ton of pressure off Rukia. Her hands were already shaking so much from stress that she found herself struggling to grind the leaves needed for the tea.

'_Be calm, Rukia.'_ She mentally told herself. _'Even with his eyes closed, you know he's watching.'_

She couldn't screw this up. She would not allow herself to do so. As insignificant as tea-making may seem for those of the Special Forces, it was a manner of honor and prestige to her brother. Making a mistake now meant that she was unable to perform her duties as a member of the Kuchiki House, and would mean she would not be apart of affairs concerning her household and would be a slight to her brother. At least, that was what it would usually entail in the nobility. Even though she was certain that Byakuya wouldn't be angry with her for making a small mistake, she was also certain that he would not only be embarrassed by it, but disappointed as well.

And his disappointment in her was worse than any punishment she could think of.

As her hand reached for the brush needed for the mix of water and grounded herbs, she took occasional glances at the Uchiha. To think that the man she had fought only two years ago was now the third seated officer of the entire 2nd Division, and the personal protégé of the captain herself. She had heard rumors regarding his quick rise in rank from her brother and others in her division, but she couldn't help but wonder about the rumors which circulated around him as well. How could this man, someone whom she respected and had defeated before, be known as the 'Onimusha of the _Onmitsukido'_, a infamously feared Soul Reaper killer? It did not fit the character of the Sasuke she had met years before, the Sasuke who was kind, quiet and driven to do the right thing.

He looked so humble and serene that she could not help but be amused with her thoughts of how closely her brother and Sasuke looked alike from the way they were seated. Although, there was something Rukia caught in Sasuke's eyes when they met at the entrance and made her cringe. Not out of fear but rather in the way some one would when they had learned terrible news.

Something had happened to Sasuke.

She knew because his eyes did not brim with the light they had had two years ago. No they were now hard and sharp like a blade, almost like the captain to whom he served under. When Sasuke had looked at her, she felt as though he wasn't really looking _at_ her but whatever was behind her.

Like she didn't exist.

And for some odd reason she could not explain, that _hurt _her.

"It is ready." She said. With cabaret in hand, she gracefully deposited the silverware cups on the paper saucers. With the service done and her brother's guests taking their first sips of the tea she had served, the younger Kuchiki awaited with hidden anxiety for their response.

"This is good. Thank you, Kuchiki-san." Captain Soifon said. Oh how Rukia wanted so badly to let the biggest sigh of relief she had ever felt in her bosom out. Alas, she had to hold back that sigh; she gave them a bow and took her seat as if she had done this performance before in the presence of highly statute guests.

It would've been at this time that the guest of honor himself had finally arrived. He was of old age, his head shaved to a clean cut with silky, grey haired mutton chops. His sharp, long goatee only accentuated his aged features and the clothes he wore made his seem like a wise old sage. Rukia had not known that the man had been in the Kuchiki estate for quite awhile now—since night to be exact—and had now decided to show up after she had already served her tea.

"My apologies, Lord Kuchiki. Your beds lull even the most invigorating of men to sleep without worries." He said in a gentle demeanor.

Byakuya shook his head. "I am glad to hear it. Please, if you would introduce yourself."

"Of course. I am Nishimura Kankuro Masatoshi, thirty-second head of the Nishimura House. I am here on behalf of Lord Kuchiki to lend a hand concerning the investigation of corruption suspected to be within certain middle and higher noble families. Common knowledge aside, I've come to deliver a critical piece of information to the investigation." He announced.

"I am Captain Soifon of the 2nd Division as well as corps commander of the executive militia of the Special Forces." The Gotei Thirteen captain said.

"To my left is the third corps commander of the detention unit, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ah I see." Lord Nishimura glanced to the captain's aide. Then who is this young man? Your lieutenant?"

Soifon shook her head. "To my left is Uchiha Sasuke, my third seated officer and commander of the _Onmitusiko's_ Detention Unit."

Nishimura's brow rose. "Your third-seated officer? What of your lieutenant?"

"He is on sick leave and was unable to attend." Soifon answered in the same manner and tone as before.

Rukia instantly felt the tension between the quick dialogues. Was not having her vice-captain present really that big of an issue for her brother's associate?

"Soifon… of the Fon House, am I correct?" the nobleman said, eyes still locked with the captain.

"Yes." She replied curtly.

"As I heard, the Fon House is in the service of the Shihouin House, correct?" Lord Nishimura queried in a knowing tone, to which Soifon then shifted her gaze to Byakuya.

"Captain Byakuya..." She said, letting his name hang. The before-mentioned nobleman looked at Sir Tenzo.

"Relevance, Masatoshi-dono." Lord Kuchiki demanded. Lord Nishimura stifled a sigh.

"I need to know where she stands." He relented. Rukia would've thought for sure the other female Soul Reaper would've snapped at the disrespect and subtle distrust. Any captain of the Gotei Thirteen would have.

However, Rukia was surprised when the captain of the 2nd Division quietly answered the nobleman. "With the departure of the twenty-second head of the Shihouin House, the head of the Fon House has since sworn allegiance to the Gotei Thirteen and thus subsequently severed its ties to any of the noble houses."

"And the head of the Fon House?" Sir Nishimura asked.

"It is I." The 2nd Division Captain said. With that said, the nobleman let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah, good to know. It would have not pleased me to work with conflict of interests. I'd like to hear what you two have on your ends before I can add more information to it." Sir Nishimura said. A disconcerting, swallowed grunt was heard from the 2nd Division captain. Rukia could tell she did not like the way she was being addressed by the noble but she kept a professional cool demeanor, which spoke volumes of her discipline and that of the men under her.

"After many conducted interrogations with many Soul Reapers of interest and suspicion, it was concluded between Captain Kuchiki and I that there was a possibility of a coup d'etat in the works." Soifon said, waiting for the young noble's input.

"However, it is one of some possible theories we've come up with. A coup d'etat seems far-fetched. If it were the case, then who would they be trying to overthrow?" Byakuya pointed out. "A coup d'etat is the process of overthrowing the leader or head of a certain organization or group. Soul Society's military head figure is Commander-General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai. To overthrow the _Commander-General_is an impossible feat as well as a fallacious one for a corrupt nobleman to achieve. The same goes for the Four Great Noble Houses of Seireitei. In conclusion, we believe that one is trying to disrupt the order of the Special Forces. For what reason and where does this motive lead, we are unsure."

Captain Soifon sipped the last of her tea before continuing the 6th Division Captain's thesis. "To add to what Captain Kuchiki said, all executed Special Forces Soul Reaper operatives unabashedly responded in the same manner: utter devotion to their allegiance without giving up a _single_ name. We have a suspect list of possible noblemen of interests but we need actual names, dates and meeting places."

Lord Nishimura nodded in acknowledgement. "Indeed. Although I happen to have a fairly good idea of whom might be responsible for the infiltration, they are merely implicates of the matter. The name I hold with hated regards would be that of the Oda House."

"The Oda House?" Lord Kuchiki said. "They are not a… savourable house to be associated with but to incriminate them without any evidence or basis for accusation is, in itself, a crime."

"That is indeed true, Lord Kuchiki, and I would not invoke their name here without reason. As you know, I have a small network of informants working for me for the last two decades on acquiring information on various noble houses for business reasons. Lord Nobunaga was the last on my list and what my informant inside the house had found out were things that delved very deeply within the more… illegitimate side of the market I hold shares in. However, before he could deliver me further information he was killed. I have a strong belief that it was because he may have found out something far more sinister than what Lord Oda has in tow." Lord Nishimura said, appearing solemn to the people present. "I hope his poor soul finds peace. Although he was flamboyant and rather eccentric, he was respectable. His dream was to master the Way of the Fist..."

"Hatsu Bakusuke."

Everyone's eyes set on Uchiha Sasuke, who had spoken the Soul Reaper's name unintentionally. "Yes! That was his name." the high ranked nobleman quipped, and then narrowed his gaze to the Uchiha.

"How did... could it be–"

"It was not by his hand that Bakusuke was slain." Captain Soifon said, quick to defend her third-seated officer from the nobleman's scrutiny. "Hatsu Bakusuke was killed during a raid on a suspected noblemen's household. Although he was on our list, our only desire was to question him about his comings and goings to certain noble houses. We would have not pushed further on the issue and we would have released him freely."

Sir Nishimura lowered his head in an apologetic manner. "My apologies. It was unbecoming of me to act out."

"We do not mind." Lord Kuchiki reassured in his placid tone. "I take it that whoever this Hatsu Bakusuke had found out is what you wish to relinquish."

"Very perceptive of you, Lord Kuchiki. Very well, where should I begin..."

Lord Oda Nobunaga was a lord residing within the Court of Pure Souls, with influence over some of the western Rukon districts. He controlled several middle and lower-class noble houses that lived outside of Seireitei's walls and from there, his fortune came from shady dealings with corrupt officials who were not apart of the Gotei Thirteen. Although many were sure that it was his doing, the link between the murky business and his name was vague and often lead to dead ends. Still, what caught Lord Masatoshi's eyes, as well as the late Bakusuke, might have been recent outings to the border between Junrinan, West Rukon district no.1 and District Zero, the wasteland that had been the site of the gruesome Lost Zero Tragedy. Outings included Special Force operatives of the 2nd Division as well as various Soul Reapers throughout Seireitei, the Oda House included. Rukia felt somewhat guilty and wronged when she heard the information. She was nobility herself so she felt some sort of responsibility.

"So they were trying to divert attention from themselves by committing more prominent acts of crime throughout Seireitei just so they could get to district zero unnoticed?" Soifon capitulated. "It doesn't make any sense for them to do so."

"Why?" Sir Nishimura asked.

"The only thing of interest in that wasteland is Lost Zero." Lord Byakuya said. "There are four great seals preventing it from spreading its instability throughout Seireitei. Those seals were put in place nearly two hundred years ago by the respective heads of the Four Great Noble Houses. Together, these seals formed _Kokurenmon_, the Black Purgatory Gates. These gates in turn have the ability to sense any living soul within five hundred meter radius. The Kido Corp monitoring stations, as well as several others placed secretly across Seireitei would've immediately sent an emergency response signal stemming from the gates to all captains if anyone had come close to it."

"The sanctions for stepping into District Zero without permit are imprisonment, jail time and possibility of execution. Being caught by the Black Purgatory Gates' radar _is_ an execution." Soifon complemented the explanation. Lord Nishimura nodded in acquiescence.

"So Lord Oda is to be our primary suspect I take it?" Captain Kuchiki reconfirmed.

"It wouldn't be such a farfetched guess." Captain Soifon said. "The man has made it our business when he decided to involve operatives of the Special Forces in his ventures. Pinning him is not going to be an easy feat."

"Indeed. Solid evidence will be needed to sequester him. It will require clandestine work, someone who is willing to sacrifice their identity, ambition and any ties or bonds they might have in the event that they should fail in their mission. If that occurs, such an individual must be willing to accept that the Gotei Thirteen will repudiate him so that it can appear he was acting of his own volition." Captain Kuchiki said, throwing a glance toward his fellow captain. "I assume you already have someone in mind, Captain Soifon?"

Rukia watched as the Captain of the 2nd Division turned her gaze to Sasuke, the infamous Soul Reaper nodding in return. "That would be me, Captain Kuchiki."

Sir Nishimura seemed disconcerted with the volunteer. "Are you sure? You do realize what you would be putting at stake, that–"

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke said, cutting the nobleman off. The cold sharp look in his eyes made the nobleman squirm slightly where he sat. "I am the perfect candidate for this mission. The only ties and ambitions I had were taken away from me by those whom I must bring down in this mission. Nothing else matters. If something or someone stands in my way, they'll be cut down and should I fail, I will be cut down and no one would miss me. Nothing more, nothing less."

It was then that Rukia felt an overwhelming foreboding aura in the room. It wasn't _reiatsu_ or _reiryoku_ but rather the dreadful willpower that stemmed from the never-ending abyss that was reflected in the Uchiha's obsidian pools. It was clear to everyone in the room that Sasuke would not be swayed by the heavy burden required of him for the mission.

Rukia felt something pang in her chest from what Sasuke had said, like a tight squeeze of anger and pain. She wanted to say something to Sasuke, to tell him that he was wrong, to tell him that there was somebody who would miss him.

That she would miss him.

But she remembered her station. She remembered the seriousness of the meeting and how such an outburst would bring shame to her brother.

So she said nothing and remained silent.

"Very well. Let us discuss the mission in details then." Kuchiki Byakuya said.

* * *

Sasuke stood on the small bridge that relayed the small patches of earth that made up the koi pond in the Kuchiki courtyard. With an arm on the crimson colored, steel fence, chin resting on his palm, he appeared casual and almost inoffensive. Rukia decided the approach the soul reaper, nearly tip-toeing to avoid ruining her junihitoe and possibly take a gander on how he could've possibly accepted such a dangerous mission.

"Sasuke-san, a _ryou_ for your thoughts." She said, trying to liven up the moody atmosphere. The raven-haired man did not even bat as much as an eyelash and ignored the greeting of the well-meaning soul reaper. She bordered up beside him, her eyes following the random movements of the koi fish.

"It must have been a very painful experience, to lose someone dear to you." She said, her middle fringe swaying to the breeze. Sasuke perked up slightly, sensing the all familiar sincerity the adopted Kuchiki usually magnified her words with. Still, he could not come up with anything.

"Must you… must you really go through with this mission? Must you really sacrifice your dreams and hopes, even your identity?" Rukia said, getting to the point of her one-sided conversation. When she felt that Sasuke was not going to respond, she added "Is it really worth it?

To that, the Uchiha undoubtedly turned his head towards her, the abyss within his heart reflected in his obsidian eyes. "It is. What I am doing pales in what Yuusuke died for. His dreams, his hopes, his identity-all of those were taken in one night by degenerate mavericks who are still enjoying their undeserved luxurious joy. How is he supposed to rest in peace when they continue to evade their judgment?"

Rukia winced at the unadulterated, quiet rage the Uchiha spoke with. It was clear he was tormented by the death of his comrade, even though from another person's point of view, it did not seem so. "Nobility..." Sasuke said, scoffing at the mere mention of the term "...is only but a cowardly veil used by those in power to step on those who lack the means to sustain themselves. Their day of retribution will come, I swear it."

Rukia cringed at the Uchiha's last rant. "Sasuke, y-you cannot make such a generalization of the Nobility. Not everyone is like that."

At that moment, Sasuke burrowed his eyebrows and his cold stare morphed into a vicious, piercing one. "Who are you trying to defend?"

"What?" Rukia asked in surprise.

"Do not think for a second that I've exempted Lord Kuchiki from my thoughts on the Nobility. He may not be incriminated for the affair but it is no secret that he too, would crush anyone who would cross with nobility." Sasuke said.

"That is not true!" Rukia almost yelled.

"Hn. You're living in the comfort of a deluded affection you think he holds for you. I could tell the questionable doubt he has in his eyes when he looks at you. After all, he is supposed to be law and order incarnate yet he has taken you in. It must not reflect well in the eyes of the other nobles." The Uchiha said, attempting to put her mind into disarray.

"Stop saying such things at once! How can you say such things about–"

"Kuchiki Rukia, mark my words." Sasuke declared in a hostile tone. "The day will come when even you won't be spared by the nobility. Then, you will see the truth in my words."

There was a sharp impact to the left cheek, thrusting his head to the right. A few birds flew off into the horizon at the sound of the slap. It took a moment for Sasuke to realize that he had been slapped by Rukia. He was so caught off guard that it had taken him a second to realize that she had indeed slapped him. He pressed his palm to his cheek and looked back at the woman.

His eyes visibly widened; Rukia's hand trembled from its place, as if in disbelief as to what she had done, but what made his eyes widen was the sight of how she was close to tears.

"That… was cruel. I did not believe the rumors which circulated around you, that you were capable of such cruelty. But it appears that they held some truth to them after all. Your negative opinions on the nobility may come from your anger and pain, but my lord brother is nothing like those whom you speak against!" She said, voice trembling. "All I wanted you to know was that the person you hold dear to your heart, even in death, would have never wanted this for you. I would know, because someone close to me, someone even closer than my lord brother, died in my arms and granted a wretched soul like me his heart, and all the great things it held."

Rukia lifted her junihitoe and ran back inside, unable to force back down the hidden feelings she had remembered. For the first time in the longest while since Yuusuke's death, Sasuke's heart was pained with the affliction of his vicious words. He was even more pained when he realized he had said things he should have never said to _her _of all people and that he might never be forgiven for doing so.

Perhaps it was better that way.

Through intelligence available to him at the 2nd Division, Sasuke had known about the death of the 13th Division's vice-captain at Kuchiki Rukia's blade that happened nearly forty years ago.

He was certain, right then and there, that had he let the woman speak of her past, he would've abandoned his path of revenge and find solace within the misery of the unfortunate soul that was Kuchiki Rukia.

* * *

**Forty days later...**

"...and so, these are your assignments until further notice. Try not to embarrass your name, or the House you serve while under Lord Oda's guidance. Dismissed."

Sasuke skimmed through his directives and then headed for the watchtower located about four hundred paces away from the _Lord_ of the Oda House's castle. He climbed the forty feet tall ladder and met with the other Soul Reaper he was relieving.

"Name?" The guard queried.

"Akechi Mitsuhide." The Uchiha said.

"Try not to die on your first day. Even in your sleep, you'll hear the insults." He said, adding a chuckle as he left. The undercover agent didn't bother replying, simply scouring with his Sharingan the field cloaked with the bush-filled trees. The blanket of the night would be perfect for taking down watch guards with aerial projectiles. However for Sasuke, his ocular power would detect those from a mile away. Gaining a lord's trust began with excelling at even the lowest of jobs, no matter how benign or meaningless it might have seemed. Truth be told, the Uchiha thanked the goddess of luck for granting him this position. Night watch was risky task so he was confident by warding off all intruders, it would not take long for him to be noticed by another soul reaper superior. The goal was to become part of lord Nobunaga's personal squad.

The prerequisites for the mission had not been particularly hard to meet. First, a staged public execution of the third seated officer of the Special Forces was needed. While Sasuke had been put in solitary confinement, deep in the catacombs of the Maggot's nest, the captain of the Special Forces had a body double felon that resembled Sasuke's physique and had him executed on Soukyoku hill, his soul erased by the 'guillotine': a raging, burning avian spirit made of a thousand soul cutting blades. Captain Soifon let the ears of the walls of Seireitei transmit the gossip of an executed traitorous seated officer go through for a little over a month, and then released the Uchiha from his confinement. The two met secretly in Juninran with Lord Nishimura, who bestowed the identity of Akechi Mitsuhide onto Sasuke, providing a solid, yet fake background for him. After that, the rest was up to Sasuke. He was once again reminded that should he fail, the Gotei Thirteen would expunge him so that they would eliminate the loss of leads, as was the _modus operandi_of criminals to lay low when found out.

As expected, perpetrators arrived at the break of dawn. He had to give them credit for that choice. Dawn was the sixth hour of sleep, meaning it was the biological time clock that laxed soul reaper's guards and dazed those who were asleep. The Uchiha caught the darts in his hands. He swooped down and with rapid, accurate movements; he gutted the looters in their vital spots, killing them instantly. There were a few others but they ran away. At that time, the avenger pondered if it still would be wise to sound the alarm and alert the other watch guard or continue to keep watch until morning.

He chose the latter.

"Why didn't you sound the alarm?" His superior yelled in frustration. Sasuke feigned an apologetic bow.

"I thought there was no need to wake the master." He said. The other Soul Reaper clubbed his head with his fist.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Lord Nobunaga did not build these bells for adoration. I should simply do him a favor and-

"What's all the commotion?" A rich, seductive voice said. All eyes turned to a peerless beauty, voluptuously blessed and well-defined curved legs shown shamelessly every time she took a step, the silk-embroidered _qipao_ being the attractive factor in her clothing.

"L-Lady N-Noh! My apologies for disturbing you at such an early time!" The Soul Reaper said bringing himself on his knees with head bowed. Sasuke did the same. "I take responsibility for the foolishness of my subordinate!"

"Like I was saying before, what's all the commotion?" Lady Noh queried again.

"We we're attacked by unidentified assailants earlier this morning. We managed to ward them off but the reason of my anger is that my subordinate did not sound the alarm, as procedures called for it." he said.

Lady Noh gave a small chuckle. "What do you think, darling?" She asked, referring to the man walking down the steps of his castle. This would be the first time _'Akechi Mitsuhide'_ would gaze upon the splendor that was the fully nobleman-clad Oda Nobunaga. He face was impassive, as if he was bored but the Uchiha caught intrigue within the _nobleman_'s eye. Beside him was another man, whom he remembered in the profile list of nobleman associated under the Oda House as Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was a full head shorter than Nobunaga and had a big stomach, which showed him as a rather plump noble.

"What did they look like?" Lord Nobunaga asked.

"They were–

"I wasn't addressing you," Lord Oda said, walking past by the watchtower captain and up to Sasuke. "I am talking to the one who disposed of them. Tell me your name."

Sasuke lifted his head slightly, looking at the lord's feet. "Akechi Mitsuhide, my lord."

"Tell me... what did they look like, Akechi Mitsuhide?"

"They wore _kasa _hats and foot-long outdoor tab and they wore long, dark indigo cloaks. One of them wrapped a red cloth around their forearm." Sasuke said, recalling the memory of his encounter.

"How many were killed?"

"Six. Their bodies are buried near the stream that waters my lord's horses." Sasuke said. "The rest escaped."

"Hmm..." Lord Oda pondered. "...and the reason for not signaling the alarm?"

"Those people strongly resembled the _sohei — __the _warrior monks —of the Enryaku-ji temple. Although they are a thorn to mi-lord's side, this morning little attempt seemed more of a suicide mission. I deemed it to be insignificant to alert the entire castle for that, especially since they were dealt with."

"I see... fair enough than. Continue with your good work." Lord Oda Nobunaga said, looking over to Ieyasu. "Ieyasu, see to it that this man's pay is raised."

The Lord of the Tokugawa House bowed his head slightly. "Of course Lord Nobunaga."

Nobunaga looked back over to Sasuke, eyeing him for a moment before turning away and making his way back to his castle's keep, with Ieyasu and their personal guards following close behind.

Lady Noh smiled before letting out a short yawn. "How boring. Sanmaki, since my Lord Nobunaga has raised this one's pay, I'm docking your pay for this."

A mix of astonished gasps and chuckles at Noh's words could be heard from the collective soul reapers. Sanmaki shot a laser-like glare at 'Mitsuhide' and then barked orders to everyone. Sasuke was simply content that he had gained a small recognition from the nobleman.

Yes. Every small step to earning one's trust created great leaps of success for the mission at hand.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Aye everyone! Just wanted to take the time to say thanks for all the reviews and the follows and favorites! Real talk all ya'll have been supporting me since day one and I don't usually say thanks but you all deserve it! As special thanks, I want to ask all of you for a special one-shot omake of our little Uchiha kid here. I want to include you all in some way and I feel that omakes are a great way to get other authors out there as well as give you guys a chance to be apart of this continuum of Imperialpatty's epic. _

_But before I get into that, I want to ask you guys a couple of serious questions, which will greatly affect the rest of the story. I told you guys I wouldn't change much of what Imperialpatty had originally written and I was going to stand by that. However, recent reviews and PMs to me, have led me to question if I SHOULD change some of what he had written in later chapters. _

_I'm talking about the introduction of the X-Overs with Inuyasha and Vampire Knight. To the readers of the original, you all know that he included certain… characters from those anime into this story and didn't really leave much to the imagination as to where exactly he was going to take it. In fact, he left it in such a way that it's pretty up open to actual speculation as to what exactly he had planned for those characters inclusions to begin with. Maybe he wanted to add them out because he was a fan, maybe he wanted to add them because he needed good antagonists/protagonists who could fit the bill. I honestly don't know but I wanted to ask all of you these two very important questions, questions which will affect the story in the long run: _

_What do you think he had planned with all the characters to begin with?_

_Should I change it and include different characters instead so it would make… much more sense in the long run? _

_I would very much appreciate an answer from everyone who reads this and from those who had read the original. _

_Now for anyone who is interested in the omake, lets me lay it down for ya'll. For starters, it has to include characters in this story that have already made an appearance or have been mentioned. It can be about anything so long as it's humorous and goes with the story in the long run. Seriously it's about the humor people so if ya'll have a little comedian inside you, then please let it loose._

_I'll even hold it as a contest. All credit for the omakes shall go to their respective authors naturally and the winner of the contest shall… well: the omake which makes me laugh the hardest and wins the contest shall be considered canon for the story. _

_That's right! _

_CANON FOR THE STORY! _

_So if you guys are fans of this, you all have a chance to make a funny omake which will actually be considered canon! That means any little romance if have playing in your heads can be considered so long as its not… yaoi or yuri. No offense to anyone out there but this isn't… THAT kind of story you feel me? _

_But yeah. All you guys have to do is write a short omake, at most a thousand words long, and submit it via email to me. Leave your penname at the end of the omake so I can send you thanks and inform you whether or not you if you have won the contest. The contest ends May 21, so you all have plenty of time. _

_ My email is wolfsxo209 at gmail dot com. _

_Please don't spam me. _

_Anyways, even if you don't win the contest, your omake will still make an appearance in the story regardless. I love comedy so if you guys make me laugh, then ya'll can make everyone else laugh to. _

_Oh and for some reason, somebody asked me if I was… Black. I don't see how this should affect anything at all but yeah I might as well answer that question: _

_No I'm not Black. I have a mocha-colored skin tone and I'm a human being. I come from East San Jose and live for myself and for my homies and friends who have helped me get where I am today. I may be from a hood where it's not exactly friendly, and I have a skin color that's not 'White', but that don't label me as anything less than human. I fight for what I desire and I'm loyal to those who deserve my loyalty and friendship. In all honesty I don't believe in labels such as 'Race' because to me there is only one 'Race'…_

_And that's the Human Race._

_For those of you wondering who asked me that, I won't give a name because I don't wanna start anything. I just wished that that way of narrowed-minded thinking had never even started. _

_Anyways, next chapter will be out next week… with a brand new chapter of Digital Redemption! _

_Later bros. _

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	23. The Ambivalent Nature of Peace

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

**Author's Note:** Here it is, another chapter of Transcending Bonds. I think I rated this fanfic for T but I would like to warn you readers that this chapter is definitely rated M for dark situations. Pre-apologies for anyone who can't stomach the atrocities that has been and will be committed up to this day.

* * *

Windows of opportunity were hard to find.

When one path seemed without any obstructions, a small pebble would stumble when taking even the most careful of steps. It was happening at the moment with Uchiha Sasuke. Pebbles would come under the form of the attractive Lady Noh, whose advances were professionally spurned by the watch guard. Other pebbles came under the form of Lord Nobunaga's sons, each begging personal sword instructions from the _'illustrious and talented Mitsuhide-sensei'_. Sometimes, the pebbles would come in batches, like the constant, ever careful watch of the other Soul Reapers under Lord Nobunaga's personal command.

On being observed, the pebbles would take shape into giant boulders, two respectively. One was a sandal-bearer by the name of Hashiba Hideyoshi, Nobunaga's most trusted retainer. The other was unbelievably Lady Oichi, Nobunaga's younger and only sister. From his meeting with her at one time, it became apparent to Sasuke that Oichi was not fond of Soul Reapers, so every time a new one came in, she sought in every way to have him removed from the domain, either for failing simple, ridiculous tasks like getting her ingredients from a vague, unpopular supermarket or outrageous demands like an audience with her favorite nobleman, Kuchiki Byakuya.

Nevertheless, Sasuke tried his best to please everyone in the Oda House, not because he wished so but because he _needed_ to. After all, what better way to gain the trust and information he needed than by servicing the vices of spoiled nobility? Besides, Sasuke was counting the days like an administered I.V. needle.

The only thing that was above his mission was the safety of Yuusuke's sister. Vice-captain Marechiyo Omaeda refused to continue sponsoring a dead man's relative, even when offered by the best friend of said dead man compensation. The plump vice-captain argued that it wasn't just the money but now he was under pressure by other high-ranking nobles for Yuusuke's sister. It irritated Sasuke to no end. What in all the nine bowels of hell could be so important about marrying – or rather defiling – a girl of the lessermost nobility? Lord Hiruma had connections and was very wealthy but even money could not satisfy the man's venality.

Sasuke could already hear his blood brother's voice mocking him playfully in his head. Each man's obsessions were different but they were obsessions nevertheless.

It would've been at the final day of the third seasonal trimester that Sasuke saw his minim chance of opportunity. A new chess piece came into play but only in _'selectively'_ secret meetings with Lord Nobunaga. He was apparently an envoy from the Tokugawa House by the name of Hattori Hanzo. It was a name that was somewhat infamous among the _Onmitsukido_. Hattori Hanzo was at one time apart of the 2nd Division, a seated officer no less, and headed the special tactics and assassination unit. He had been arrested for seventeen counts of murder of certain individual Soul Reapers of the Gotei Thirteen, the personal targets of his house's overlord. However, he had been _'dishonorably discharged'_ from the 2nd Division rather than facing the death penalty. It was rumored that Tokugawa Ieyasu and his connections within the Gotei Thirteen had been responsible for intervening on Hanzo's behalf. When _'Mitsuhide'_ queried his superior about it, he was told to hush up and wait until the night shift.

"I'm not exactly sure but it would seem that man and Lord Nobunaga leave at a certain time of the month for at least three days. I would not tell you of such things because you are fairly new in our lord's forces but since you've seemed to garner some favor of the lord I guess it's only natural that I would appease your worry by telling you this." He said proudly. The only thing that satisfied the Uchiha about this piece of information was that he finally was sure that even his co-workers held him in some descent regards, despite the cold indifference usually portrayed.

It meant that he could use this newly acquired _prestige_ to his advantage.

"So this is not the first time, then?" Sasuke began, addressing in the adopted courteous manner he practiced heavily in his time of isolation. "Is our lord on a quest so important that it cannot be spoken out loud?"

"Heh. You're very perceptive. I'd tell you but the secret meeting that's happening tomorrow night will explain everything for you. I've already slipped the scroll in the soles of your tabi sandals that you use to walk the halls of the castle. Read it when no one else is present." He said and that ended the conversation.

Indeed, there was a small, folded note stuck in between the heel of his straw sandals. When he took a look at it, the message was cryptic, even by some decoder standards but it wasn't too hard to figure. Sasuke memorized the code and then burned the note. All that was needed was to wait until the night of the meeting.

* * *

Lanterns partially illuminated the grove for those who were beckoned for the secret meeting. _'Mitsuhide' _thought of it has a chance to finally get a glimpse at what Lord Nobunaga had secretly been working on. His eyes scoured the dimly lighted copse: they were about twenty-five to thirty Soul Reapers, all dressed in shinobi-esque attire.

"This is your target. Scour and eliminate them all." A voice said deep within the shadow of the grove. It was deliberately unrecognizable and Sasuke could only catch a hand delivering a small piece of paper to another Soul Reaper. He advanced towards the kneeling group and dropped the piece of paper on the ground.

It was the emblem of the Enryaku-ji, a major temple complex in the Western Rukon.

"Scatter!"

Shadows blurred, assimilating the cover of the night. Quick, bountiful steps forayed grass into the air at the faint sound of the brushed aside winds. The Enryaku-ji temple stood in its splendor, its structure briefly lighted at times by moonlight covered by passing clouds. The _sohei_ were nowhere to be seen and it was only the festive lights that indicated the reason as to their guarded absence.

Articulated hand signals gave directions to each Soul Reaper, footsteps as heavy as a feather as to carefully assemble the element of surprise. An ambiguous advantage was given to them: the temple was four levels high and quite spacious in its hallways. They had room to move but they could be seen from afar as such was the case with the guards. Mitsuhide saw one of the men go for their zanpakutou but was stopped by another.

"They'll raise the alarm." The Soul-Reaper hissed.

Before any of the guards present could move, one of their own unsheathed his blade hidden in his staff and cut down the other four in the back. Their wails were quickly quieted down by precision stabs into each of their skulls.

The 'guard' waved at them.

"Move." The lead said. Sasuke followed after the group, not paying the deceased monk guards a second glance.

Sasuke was on the third floor when he tiptoed near a shut room. He was slightly caught off guard when he heard the laughter of women. This temple belonged to an ascetic conservative group of temple monks. Why would women be here?

He mutilated the shoji door apart, startling those who were inside. The Uchiha's eyes widened at the spectacle: Men, women and children dressed in yukata, a style of clothing mostly reserved for summer festivals.

The silence between them and Sasuke was temporary but distressing, as if both camps were silently questioning each other the reason of their presence, so much so that 'Mistuhide' did not see when one of the men had grabbed a spear and was raring to skewer the intruder. Instinctively, Sasuke severed his assailants' arm tendons. It was there and then the silence broken and a cacophony of wails and runaways occurred. Before he knew it, Sasuke was surrounded by actual monks.

"Who are you? Who sent you?" One of them said.

"..."

Dead men told no tales. Even if the Uchiha had bothered introducing his pseudo-persona, the act would've been pointless, seeing how he made short work of them. Still, he was distraught to see women and children fearing and running for their lives.

"D-Daddy..." one of them sobbed, shaking her dead father. Suddenly, a blade ran through the child's throat, rendering her quiet and immobile, the tears coming from her soft green eyes turning into blood.

"MINAKOOOOOOOO!" The shrill scream echoed from a woman, who ran to the dead child's side. Her time of grief came to a sudden, abrupt end when her back was torn open, the other Soul Reaper running his sword down to the base of her spine. Sasuke's mind could not keep up with the horrific events that were unfolding before his very eyes.

"What are you doing, Mitsuhide?" One of soul reapers asked. "Get your head in the game and focus."

Only when Sasuke was spoken to did he mentally recomposed himself. "What are you... what are you doing?"

The man looked at him as if he was out of his mind. "The question is what are _you_ doing? We were given a mission. Complete it at all costs."

As he said that, more of Lord Nobunaga's men swooped down, slaughtering the defenseless and killing those who guarded the temple. He could not believe his eyes. How could they go on with senseless acts of murder? He could understand when it came to the _sohei_ but harmless women and children?

Sasuke's body moved faster than his mind could, plunging his _Asauchi_ into his coworkers' heart. Only then did the others who partook into the madness stop what they were doing.

"He's a traitor! Kill him!" One of them said, leading the charge of against the Uchiha. The latter did something he had not done since he began his undercover work. _Sharingan_ eyes blared and his fingers were already in motion.

_"Katon: Hinodama no Jutsu!"_

Dead men told no tales.

After offering a means of escape to the women and children who had survived the initial carnage, Sasuke rushed to the apex of the temple and as he ran, his mind became a swirling vortex of self-repulsion, worry and guilt, all three continuously contradicting each other. How could he have thought it to be okay for killing men but women and children were exempt? Gender should not have mattered: he should not have killed anyone and he knew he could have spared their lives if he wanted to but he chose to corrupt his sense of honor for a fallible excuse. Now, he was worried about the very same people he was supposed to kill and he knew he shouldn't be and yet, how dare he find comfort in guilt when he knew exactly that he didn't deserve it.

He could smell the smoke of fires and his harrowed worry only increased. When he stepped foot in the last room , he let out a choked up gasp and what he saw, he was sure that it would never escape his memory, even if by some chance he should lose it again.

The floor was like a swamp of blood puddles and trails. Most bodies were missing limbs and those very same limbs would be perched on spears. The killing continued, mother and children and even mothers to unborn children yet to be conceived, regardless if the prey was defenseless or not. Sasuke's eyes watched as some of these so-called 'honorable men' forcibly stripped down some women violently, forcing themselves upon them and then gutting them, whether they were done or not.

"Pillage, rape, kill! Satisfy yourselves, for it is our reward from our Lord Nobunaga." One of them yelled, taking a large drink from a golden cup in his hand most likely filled with sake. His other hand was had a tight grip on the hair of a woman's head, forcing his member into her mouth. Tears ran down her eyes and mixed with some blood that fell from her scalp.

The Uchiha's mind finally became oversaturated with the atrocities at hand. He could feel his blood boiling, every _reishi _particle that made up his body convulsing, the remaining white of his eyes coloring into pitch black. _Reiatsu_ exploded from his body, catching the attention of all in the room. They were transfixed and nearly paralyzed with coagulated fear and despair.

It was not cold enough to see his breath yet it came out like a smoke in the dead of winter. The vibrant, crimson-colored Sharingan eyed all of his targets, and then a word was whispered.

"Die."

Decapitation.

"Die."

Dismemberment.

"Die!"

Disembowelment.

"Die!"

Destruction.

"ALL OF YOU DIE!"

The weight of his hand on his latest victim's skull was so strong, he had induced an hemorrhage. Another one held the hem of his pants with frailty, a hand extended in desperation. Sasuke's furious eyes looked at him and then looked at the heart he was holding with his other hand. A maddened glee spread over his lips as he crushed the organ, blood and flesh splattering all over him. He charged up electricity in the hand that was crushing the other man's head and released it. Screaming pleads of pain escaped akin to a tormented soul. The heat conceived from his Chidori acted as an electrical outlet, charring him and burning the monster's head alive.

The remaining survivors were petrified with terror, unable to bring themselves to run. The embodiment of death was walking, his vengeance knowing no bounds.

* * *

Sasuke was forced on his knees before the castle's lord, spear blades at his throat. Blood stained him from the tip of his hair to the edge of his toes. Lord Nobunaga was seated, his first wife at his side. There was no sign of emotion from his face, even after hearing the massacre of his secret unit, nor the _sohei_ of the Enryaku-ji. Once Sasuke finished recounting his tale, Lord Nobunaga stood up from his seat, his eyes containing a sort of calm coldness that Sasuke had not seen in anyone's else… save his own.

"Leave us." Lord Nobunaga ordered. Everyone present in the room's heads sprung up in surprise.

"B-But my lord! He is responsible for the deaths of seventeen of your men. It would be…"

"I do not recall asking for your input," Lord Nobunaga said in monotone, making the guards jump to their feet. "I will not repeat myself again. Leave us."

A moment of pause.

Then, almost in unison the people present stood up and filed out of the room together with the guards. Hattori Hanzo was the last to leave, his eyes staring at the Uchiha's own before walking out the door and closing it behind him, leaving 'Mitsuhide' and Nobunaga alone. Upon hearing the shoji doors close, Sasuke's murderous rage began to swell up within him. Nothing would've felt more satisfying than to simply end Oda Nobunaga right then and there. It had been only the logical voice of reason in the back of amnesiac's head that stayed his hands.

"The women and children that were in the Enryaku-ji temple and succeeded at running away..." Nobunaga began gravely. The Uchiha mentally snorted, thinking that the castle's lord would most likely thank him or berate him for saving the defenseless.

"...I had some of my own guards find them and then kill them."

The raven-haired Soul Reaper's hand twitched at the revelation. His eyes could not hide his bewilderment as he stared into Nobunaga's impassive face. Even he appeared to be bored with his own piece of news, as if it was nothing to grieve or be sympathetic about.

"Although..." Nobunaga continued in his usual drawled tone. "For my men to have resorted to defiling the women and loot the temple in my name were not my orders. They owe you their thanks for saving them from the public, humiliating execution I would have had in store for them. My enemies were supposed to have perished swiftly and professionally."

Sasuke did not say anything but rather let his thoughts do all the raging screaming he wanted to do. How could this man say these things brazenly and without remorse? Slaughtering the innocent and raping and loitering had fine linings? There were none yet Nobunaga spoke as if the median between the two was thick and long.

"Akechi Mitsuhide... you are something else." The Lord of the Oda said as he stepped down from his throne and advanced towards the avenger. "In the last three months you began to work for me, you've been swimming between insubordination and utmost loyalty. It would be more appropriate to say that you take the task at hand seriously by completing it with your own hands. You do as you're told but at the same time, you take initiative to seek loopholes, leaving your superiors satisfied with a bittersweet taste in their mouths."

He stopped an inch from Sasuke, looking down on him as if he was scrutinizing the Uchiha's thoughts for an answer. "I seek men like you, Mitsuhide; loyal but not a slave to the vices and whims of others; men who see the path straight ahead but are not blind to everything that divulges around them. Realists but who possess the capacity to imagine."

He lowered himself down to Mitsuhide's level and whispered into his ear. "Men who have a true sense of _vision_."

Sasuke's angry expression broke into one of puzzlement. It must have been the reaction that Nobunaga had sought for the man allowed a small smile to form as he stood upright and returned to his golden matted seat. "I have a vision, Akechi Mitsuhide. Not a dream or an ambition but rather… a view on things that must come, things that can only come if they are pulled by the right hands…by my hands. However, a single man cannot reign in the kingdom that is heaven alone and those that will pull with him must be of congruent mind, resonance with him. Men like you Mitsuhide."

"What... what is it you need of me, my lord?" Sasuke asked. Judging from the Lord of the Oda's strange speech akin to a delusion of grandeur, the Uchiha guessed that he was finally going to be let in on the sordid puzzle that was Lord Nobunaga's grand design.

"I cannot speak of it now, in case of… unwanted ears. However, you shall come and join me in my personal study at daybreak. Then, and only then, shall I show you my vision."

* * *

Three hours had passed since the moon had showed its pale, faceless figure in another cloudy sky and Sasuke could not sleep. The night from before remain marked in his head, the screams, the blood, and the violent incidents that occurred in the temple. A film noir at best, the memory kept asking Sasuke the same question like an insecure roller coaster ride.

Was it all worth it?

Was it all worth it to have participated in the madness that was this mission? He had become ruthless ever since Yuusuke's death but that last event was the drop that made his conscious and soul become clear on the matter. His eroded conscience had allowed him to take out life of others much easily but there was enough leftover to know in his heart and in his mind that slaying men, women and innocent children were wrong.

Yet he had let all of that happen for the sake of the mission and his twisted vengeance. It was too late to reprimand himself now. His hands were in too deep in the muck that he would be swimming to pull himself out now, that much he knew but how much of his soul could he give away before it was completely lost?

"A moment of your time, Master Akechi." A sultry voice said behind the shoji door of his room. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Lady Noh liked to play dangerously with fire, as she often did with men who caught her curiosity some of the others said, but she never ventured into his room at this time of night. Had he finally piqued her interest to the point where she had ignore her own vices and was now seeking greater carnal pleasures?

Sasuke truly hoped not.

"I do not feel well tonight, Lady Noh." Sasuke partially lied. His mental state wasn't in the best of shapes and he was afraid of what could happen to the seductive woman.

"It's about Lord Nobunaga." She said, her voice now completely absent of flirtatiousness. The Uchiha immediately prompted her to come in. Her clothing was that of a red kosode lazily put over her undergarments. She sat down on the tatami floor, on folded legs.

"What's this about Lord Nobunaga?" The Uchiha asked in seriousness, sitting cross legged on his futon. This was the first time he was seeing such a serious expression on the bombshell and so, it drew his attention threefold.

"I take it that Lord Nobunaga has given you insight on his _vision_?" She asked.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know about that? No… the better question is do you know what they are?"

"I don't, that's why I've come to ask you." She snapped, biting her thumb. "Damn."

Sasuke now perked up at her obvious frustration. "You might not know, but you have an idea of what it is."

Lady Noh stopped biting her thumb. "It's hard to say. But by piecing in what he has done in the past before he met that strange man, what he has done and what he will do in the future, its going something that's going to have a huge impact all over Soul Society."

"What he had done in the past? What was it?" Sasuke queried to which lady Noh smirked.

"Lord Nobunaga is a visionary... what that actually means is that he has an incredible sense of foresight. The orders he gives are not to be undermined in any way for they will bear fruit in the future." She said, as if quoting the Lord of the Oda House himself.

Sasuke's eyes fell to the floor, attempting to make the gist of what Lady Noh said and how that related with what happened the other night.

"You probably think that what Lord Nobunaga decreed was inhumane but it has actually saved many lives." The attractive noblewoman said, prompting raging fury to burn in the Uchiha's eyes.

"Saved?! You knew of his entire operation and yet what you're trying to feed me is that he 'saved' souls? How can someone be saving souls by slaughtering innocent women and children? There were even frail old men there and all they did was attempting to defend what mattered most to them and we... and we..." Sasuke looked at his hands and curled them into fists, unable to finish his sentence.

Lady Noh let out a giggle. "You are naïve to the concept of peace, Master Akechi. Innocent now but to take away what's precious to someone and leaving them alive is to give them time to strengthen their minds and to sharpen their swords."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"So long as one camp is left alive, the need to spill blood and obtain vengeance will be born. You might think Lord Nobunaga is a cruel and evil soul for ordering such a thing but by eliminating the Enryaku-ji and all those who had ties with them, the flames of retribution will now never be born." Lady Noh explained.

"So mass-murder is the answer? By eliminating what stands in your way, you call that peace?" Sasuke spat angrily.

"Now it is my turn to be confused." Lady Noh said, tilting her head to the side, which caused her kosode to slip more from her shoulder and revealing more of her porcelain skin. "You say it like peace is already defined by the means of achieving it. What do you think peace is? Natural goodness between men? All is fine and well?"

Sasuke was taken aback by her quesiton. "Isn't it?"

"You're not close but not far off either. Peace is simply the complete absence of action, thought and desire to destroy another. Peace occurs when you're asleep, when you're at a standstill and when your consciousness containing your goals and ambitions is placed in a state of unconsciousness. Essentially, you could say peace is death… and that's exactly what Lord Nobunaga gave the people at the Enryaku-ji. With the Enryaku-ji destroyed, the line of the troublesome Asakura House and its associates are finished and now, we can enjoy more of this 'peace' for but awhile longer."

Stricken by the truth of her cruel words, Sasuke could not help but retort. "But that's... that's not true peace, that's just—

"Like I said Mitsuhide, the 'peace' you speak of has no nature, no merit, and no form. It is created by the ambivalent efforts of all living souls. You may be enraged at the thought but if you are blessed enough to live another two or three centuries, you might look back on this day and remember the peace that our Lord Nobunaga has created."

"Never!" Sasuke yelled, abruptly standing up from his futon. "You must be out of your mind if you think for a moment that that madman created peace!"

Lady Noh scoffed at the Uchiha's reaction with another giggle. "Suit yourself. I will leave you now because I too, must prepare for the things to come."

She stood up and looked into the Uchiha's eyes, a sultry smile forming on her lips which confused Sasuke some but he did not allow himself to show it. She turned away and the shoji door open. "But do yourself a favour: imagine for a moment if Lord Nobunaga had spared those women and children and they lived at least for another century. The historians of the that time would surely agree that what my Lord Nobunaga was not cruel enough not to do what was right… but what was necessary."

Before Lady Noh could take a second step through the threshold of his room, Sasuke used _shunpo_ to appear behind her and took hold of her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. "This… _vision_… that Lord Nobunaga speaks of… would it involve something similar to what happened at the Enryaku-ji Temple?"

Lady Noh turned her body and head around and stared into Sasuke's eyes for some time, both uncaring of being spotted by a pair of wandering eyes at that moment. Then, she placed a hand on the Uchiha's chest and pressed her lips against his own. Sasuke's eyes widened and let her wrist go, quickly taking a step back into his room and away from the noblewoman.

Lady Noh licked her lips, a mischievous smile forming before she took hold of the shoji door. "What do you think, Master Akechi?"

When Lady Noh closed the shoji door and took her leave, the amnesiac slumped into his futon, brought to a stupor by what the woman had done… and by what she had said. What was peace? Was it but the sarcastic answer Lady Noh had given him or the cold, harsh truth that was blocked but his naivety? If the latter was the case then it would be impossible to achieve such a notion unless every single soul abandoned a sense of individuality and gained common ideals and desires for the greater whole. In such a peace, people whose ideas did not conform to others were usually dealt with violently but quietly and when those common ideas banded up in the form of an organization, then they would be labeled rebels of the society and disrupters of peace, even if their ideals were nothing but selfless and noble. Sadly, society always remedied to the elimination of that disruption in order to preserve uniformity.

Was it the same for the Enryaku-ji and Lord Nobunaga? With the sparks of vengeance dead before they could give life to fire, had peace truly been achieved, or was it an indefinite time span of non-action that defined what peace truly was?

Sasuke did not know and he did not want to know anymore.

The only comfort he had gained for the rest of the night was the mental fatigue that had led him to slumber against his will.

* * *

**Soul Reaper Omake**

"Akechi Mitsuhide!"

Sasuke turned his head to Nobunaga's sister, Oichi. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you may! I want chocolate sticks!" She said arms crossed pompously. "Now!"

"What are those?" Sasuke asked, already knowing well what she was talking about. Just then, someone dashed into the room with a grin on his face.

"Ah! My lady, I know fully well what you speak of!" Hideyoshi said. "The most popular ones are branded 'Pocky"!

At that, Oichi smiled happily and clapped her hands. "Excellent! Now go get me this 'Pocky'."

Hideyoshi lost his grin and became nervous. "Um, there's just one problem...I don't know where they sell them."

Oichi composed her usual furious, ogre-like expression. "THEN GO FIND OUT, NOW! RAWR!"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes, milady! Mitsuhide! Go find the pocky–"

"I wasn't asking Mitsuhide! I'm telling YOU to go get MY POCKY, NOOOOOW!" She screamed. Hideyoshi blanched and ran out of the room.

"Now then...why are you here?" She asked Mitsuhide, completely forgetting why she called him in the first place.

"Because you wanted to discuss how much you ridiculed that noblewoman you met the other day." Sasuke lied but he already knew Oichi enough to know that she'd go on a full rant. Just then, he thought how similar the two were and they would go great together, because after all….

_They're both easy to read, predictable, stupid idiots._

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Guys… where are my omake applicants?! I haven't received a single one yet and May 21__st__ is coming. C'mon people I need some comedy here after all this. _

_Anyways, were getting closer to the 'Promised Day'. So far everyone is in agreement to me changing what Imperialpatty had originally written overall and create something new. However while I have been indeed working on that already to fit the plot that I now have in mind, I cannot for a life of me come up with a good antagonist to replaced 'Desire' as he was called. I may just stick to using him but I may change that if I come up with a better- _

_Wait a sec…_

_I now know what I need! Not just a funny omake, but I need a good ass antagonist that is a 'Vasto Lorde' or Arrancar as well! That or a Soul Reaper but still I need some antagonist people so you what I wanna ask you guys for a antagonist! _

_Yes, that's right. If you guys submit a good omake, then you can have part in this and create a badass antagonist to go with my revision of Transcending Bonds. Seriously if you guys feel like it go ahead and PM a new antagonist to replace the 'Four Horses of Darkness'. _

_If you guys cannot then I'll go head and create a new antagonist myself. I mean I already made new ones but still I would love to see you guys take part in it all and make one for me to add into it too! _

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	24. The Fruitless Path of Ingenimate Rage

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

**P.S:** Ten brownie points to anyone who figure out what the secret messages mean in this chapter (Hint: The first is related to a popular anime/manga, the other is related to a popular RPG)

* * *

Daybreak came sooner than expected, most partly due to the amount of required sleep Sasuke missed out on. He made his way to the castle's lord private quarters, located at the top of the castle. He introduced himself, waited for the beckoning call and then entered. Lord Nobunaga was on his balcony, dressed casually, all by himself. The Uchiha was appalled at how a man of his caliber could leave himself open without any guards. He briefly activated his Sharingan, checking to see if anyone was in hiding but he found no one. Really, the man was just asking to get himself killed. Either he was confident that he could defend himself or he was too trusting of his men.

Either way, he was a fool.

"Mitsuhide, come and look." He said in his usual lazy voice. Sasuke noted that it wasn't sleepy or bored, but it always sounded like the demon king was not satisfied with anything. He approached the lord and let the horizon fill his mind.

"That," Lord Nobunaga said, pointing at the disaster waiting to happen, "is the key to the future."

What Nobunaga was referring to was Lost Zero, the massive, black, dome-shaped sealed up distortion. It was the continual worry of all captains and high ranking Soul Reapers, as well as any citizen inhabiting near the dome.

"I'm not sure I follow you." Sasuke said in all honesty. What possible good could something that had taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of living souls? That thing was something beyond anyone's control and the possible recurrence of another Lost Zero was the reason why the Black Purgatory Gates was set-up.

"I know what you are thinking and you have every reason to. As far as I could ever remember, I was told stories of this horrific event that has scarred so many lives, even up to this day. It is precisely because it draws fear from all who live in Soul Society that it will become the catalyst of the vision I speak of." Lord Nobunaga said cryptically.

"Lord Nobunaga, with all due respect, I think you speak madness." Sasuke said. It was a bold thing to say but at the moment, he couldn't care less. If Nobunaga thought for a moment that he could get close enough to Lost Zero without the Black Purgatory Gates detecting him, he was dead wrong.

"Madness is the precept given by those who live in the present, Mitsuhide. Isn't it ironic how it is the ghosts of the past that are always remembered and never those of the present? I do not blame you. In fact, for what is about to come, I will allow you to fulfill your desires, so that you may regret nothing." Lord Nobunaga said, his eyes still fixated on the black dome. Sasuke felt unease, remembering the words of Lady Noh.

"Once again my lord, with all due respect, you sound as if..." Sasuke began, unsure that if he wanted to finish the sentence. Lord Nobunaga looked at him and then surprised the Uchiha by laughing.

"As if everyone is going die? Don't be so ridiculous. Mitsuhide, a warrior will fight with half his strength before a war if he has not said his goodbyes." He said, to which the Uchiha wasn't really sure if that was supposed to be reassuring. "Come; let me hear your wish. I will grant if it's in my power."

Sasuke thought carefully for a moment before answering. "I have had my eyes on a certain woman."

If Lord Nobunaga seemed disappointed, he did not show it. Instead, he restored his gaze towards Lost Zero. "Ah… a woman. You are a man after all. So, what is stopping you? If its time, then I can assure you that you will have plenty."

"It's not that. It's... I am a man of lower birth. The woman I speak of is eyed by another of greater birth." Sasuke said.

The Demon King nodded in understanding. "I see. Who are they?"

"Lord Hiruma has his sight on the youngest lady of the Shiori house." Sasuke said.

"I see. Lord Hiruma, is it? I know the man well. His decrepit, fallible shell still seeks the pleasures of youth. It will be entertaining to see him agitated with panic when he learns that his heart's desire is given to another." Lord Nobunaga said.

"Thank you very much, my lord." 'Mitsuhide' said, bowing.

"Do not thank me yet. See it that you live through the coming revolution."

Unbeknownst to Lord Nobunaga, 'Akechi Mitsuhide ' would not live to see this revolution. If Sasuke wanted to move about more freely, the need to disappear was a must. Besides, the man had made it much easier for Sasuke to plan out his death. Last night's planning had so many flaws, most of them revolving in how he was supposed to get Yuusuke's sister out of Lord Hiruma's hand but now, he could already see the plan in motion.

First and foremost, 'Akechi Mitsuhide ' needed to become more bold and rebellious than before. This was an attempt to make Lord Nobunaga think he had heavy doubts about his _vision_. That would set-up the need for others to see him dead due to disobedience. If he just went ahead and tried to somehow get himself murdered or commit suicide, it would look to suspicious. He had to be careful not to push the envelope to hard but just enough to give others the idea that he wanted to usurp the throne.

Secondly, he needed to transmit a breakthrough to Lord Nishimura, who acted as a one-time liaison to Captain Soifon. This would ensure that Sasuke had actually gained evidence and would also allow the _Onmitsukido_ as well as Lord Kuchiki's forces to move in for the strike. He was about to exit the castle when an irritating figure intercepted his path.

"Mitsuhide... going somewhere?"

Sasuke sighed in exasperation and blinked. There, standing against a support beacon eating an apple was Hashiba Hideyoshi, the monkey-looking man sneering at him.

"I don't have time for this." He said, trying to get past the vassal but the man moved, blocking his path.

"You need to learn your place, Mitsuhide. Just because you think that you're in Lord Nobunaga's inner-circle doesn't mean you're his favorite. You're not _that_ special." He said, taking another large bite of his apple.

"Sure I am. That's why you're blocking my way, isn't it?" Sasuke said, showing an arrogant smirk. Hideyoshi fumed at the Uchiha's comment.

"I went easy on you last time," Hashiba said, referring to a beating Sasuke allowed to give him. "But now, I'm going to make sure you won't be able to move for a really long time."

Sasuke considered striking down the fool in a single blow but it was the whistle of Lady Noh that cut the tension.

"Master Hashiba," She called out in a honeyed voice. "I was looking all over for you."

"Y-You were looking for me, my lady?" Hideyoshi asked, angry fury abandoned towards the Uchiha and becoming red with embarrassment.

"Of course! You see, I need your help with something." She said, grabbing the man's arm. She turned to Sasuke, winked at him and then pressed forward with Hashiba in tow. As he watched them go away, the undercover agent couldn't help but think that Lady Noh was letting in on more than she knew and as Sasuke learned during his time in the _Onmitsukido_, the variables in a mission were always the ones to watch out for.

* * *

Sasuke arrived at _Bikkuri,_a somewhat popular restaurant, dressed casually just enough to remain invisible. He slipped a note to the bartender, and then began to drink. After four shots, the Uchiha began to cause a ruckus, creating the allusion that he was a loud drunkard. By creating the disturbance, no one even bothered stopping the staff from grabbing Sasuke by the shoulders and dragging him to the backroom. However, what was waiting for Sasuke was not a beating but a staircase leading him to a basement. There, he was led to a secret passage that led him to a long, underground tunnel.

"Continue that way and you'll end up in _Genbu_." The chef said and then shut the door, locking it up. Sasuke ran forward through the tunnel that was dimly lighted by candles. He kept running through, unfazed by the sense of entrapment it was supposed to give and reached the end of it after a great amount of time.

He knocked three times on the hard wood of the shoji door and waited for an answer.

"_When the misty bridge of magpie feathers comes into sight..."_ a woman's voice said behind.

"_The night is nearly past."_ Sasuke finished the secret pass phrase. He was let in and met with the interim agent.

"Still can't believe they let you choose the code phrase. Seriously, Orihime and Hikoboshi? Are you a romantic or something, lieutenant?"

Sasuke blinked. The interim agent coughed.

"Remember, once you hand in your report, there is no turning back. If it proves to be inadequate, you will be the first to know." she said.

Sasuke nodded and handed a sealed parchment. The man nodded and then closed the door. Now all that remained was to return to the Lord Nobunaga's castle and wait for the night.

* * *

It was another pale, faceless moon when Sasuke was at the watchtower. He withdrew a small pipe from the confines of his shinobi garb and fired the tranquilizer dart at his co-worker. He then dropped to the ground and headed for the meeting point. There, under a cluster of cherry blossom trees, Sasuke waited in trepidation. If the evidence was insufficient, he would be killed without even knowing it.

Instead, a man propped from the shadows. A brief beam of moonlight revealed crimson, colored hair and even in the midst of the shadows, he could discern the pineapple shape it formed.

_"__When I arrive at where you are__we may not appear to be as we were…_

"…_But we shall make another promise to keep."_Sasuke finished.

"Eighth-seated officer of the 6th Division, Abarai Renji." He introduced himself.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Third-seated officer of the 2nd Division. Report."

"Captain Kuchiki has given his approval. You must give a time when to strike."

"On the twenty-second hour of the nineteenth day."

"Understood. Here are the goods."

Renji handed a bag containing a faux body as well as coma-inducing pill and a soul candy. There was also a flare and even hell butterfly contained in a small tube.

"Good work. Dismissed."

"Good luck." The Eighth-seated officer said and left as quietly as he'd came. Sasuke ran back to his post, swallowing the coma-inducing pill, and then used an earth jutsu to bury the bag. He then ran back to the watchtower, just in time for the pill to come in effect.

* * *

"How utterly disgraceful."

That was the first thing that came out of Hideyoshi's mouth upon Sasuke's return to the castle grounds. "How you became so favoured by Lord Nobunaga is a wonder."

Sasuke, still reeling from the drug, tried to answer back. "I-It was my carelessness. I'm s-sorry."

Hashiba whipped the back of his hand across Mitsuhide's face. "Talk properly, boy. I don't understand the language of idiots."

The comment earned the snickers of the other castle soldiers, even the other one that Sasuke put to sleep last night.

"You really shouldn't be so rough on his face, _Saru_. He is meeting the woman of his life." A familiar voice said behind them. Hashiba immediately dropped to his knees in prostration.

"My Lord, there's no need to grant that mongrel your attention. I will deal with his foolishness myself." He said as humbly as he could. For a second, Sasuke wished he had Bakusuke's personality. Maybe then, it would not be snickers Hashiba would be getting but full blown laughter.

"Akechi Mitsuhide, rise." Lord Nobunaga commanded. Sasuke did so, wondering what the so-called 'Demon King' could be up to.

"The courtesans of my castle will attend to you. You must look impeccable for your bride-to-be. Head inside at once."

"Thank you, my lord." Sasuke said. As soon as he passed by the castle's lord, the latter spoke again.

"Oh, and try not to look so lost. It would really ferment the seeds of doubt that everyone is having about you lately."

Sasuke put a halt in his tracks. The corner of the eye remained on Nobunaga for a brief second, and then resumed to look forward.

* * *

Sasuke arrived at the Souma House, the distant relatives of the Shiori. They welcomed him with hurried and admired gestures, since they received word that a man of one of the highest ranking nobles would wed the orphan girl. A _kekkon_ of sorts, they directed 'Akechi Mitsuhide ' to the meeting room. His eyes widened upon the door being opened for him.

There, sitting on a collage of pillows was Shiori Setsuka, the younger sister of Yuusuke.

Her light lime colored hair flowed down to her bosom and parts of it had been done in double buns. Her skin was truly as white as snow, so much so that her crisp face would break like porcelain if it was mishandled. She had grown a bit, remembering the orginal picture that Yuusuke had once shown him. She was not a little girl anymore but not quite a woman just yet.

She kept her head down, not just a sign of respect but also of rejection. Her entire body language said it all: she did not want to be bound to another man and that suited the Uchiha just fine. He sat behind her and embraced her in his arms.

"Whatever I tell you, you are not make a sound and do not respond until I tell you to." He whispered just enough to hear. She shifted uncomfortably, most likely out of fright.

"I knew Shiori Yuusuke." He said, allowing only a faint gasp to come from her lips. "I am here to remove you from the hands of Lord Hiruma. Nod if you understand."

Setsuka nodded and Sasuke recommenced his instructions. "In a few days, Akechi Mitsuhide will die and you will be kidnapped and taken to the Akechi House. Do not ask questions. Do not say a word until you are told so. I will see you again when the time is right. Nod if you understand."

Yuusuke's sister did not do as she was told. Instead, she simply lowered her head. "Are you…Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sasuke's body went into stasis. No one had ever figured out his identity yet how was she able to –

"Onii-chan never wrote about anyone else than his blood brother in his letters. No one else has offered to save me from Lord Hiruma because they knew onii-chan." She said.

The startled Uchiha did not move a muscle, seriously taken aback by Setsuka's brilliant deduction. Then again, perhaps he gave himself away when he did mention his late blood brother's name.

"Please… tell me the truth." She asked, her voice trembling. "Is onii-chan… is he… dead?"

"…"

He felt her tremble in his embrace. "I knew it… Deep down… I always knew."

Sasuke moved, stopping his deceitful embrace and forcefully turned Setsuka around. "How did you know?"

"I could tell. Onii-chan's emotions were not in the letters since almost half a year ago." She said, visibly shaking. "Y-Your hands… they hurt."

The Uchiha glanced at his hands and released his vice grip. He looked down to the pillows beneath them in a disconsolate manner. After Yuusuke's death, Sasuke had used his Sharingan to mimic Yuusuke's writing style and sent monthly letters to his sister, in the false hopes that he could keep the younger Shiori happy and shield her from the pain that would come from the knowledge of her brother's death.

Now all that his guile had done was hurt her even more.

"I'm… sorry…" He mumbled under his breath.

"Please… tell me everything. Tell me everything about onii-chan."

Sasuke hesitated. He felt a warm palm touch his cheek and he looked up, seeing Setsuka's determined eyes. Gently, he took hold of her wrist and moved her hand away from his cheek. He was not deserving of such warmth.

"I'll start from the beginning…" and thus he relented the story about how he and Yuusuke had met, became friends, how Yuusuke told him of his ambition to grant his sister her freedom, how he had dreamed of living happily on a hill far from the urban parts of Rukongai where he, his sister and Sasuke would spend the rest of their lives in peace. He also told how Yuusuke protected him during that mission and how he died in his arms.

All the while, Setsuka listened without saying a single word. She had kept a determine look in her eyes even when Sasuke told her of her brother's death in detail. Finally, when Sasuke was finished, she hid her face from him, keeping her head down. It was evident from the shuddering and the trembling of her shoulders that she was doing everything in her power not to cry.

"I failed Yuusuke… but I swear I will avenge him." Sasuke declared. "They're all going to pay."

Setsuka raised her head with a pained expression. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you do that?" She asked.

The avenger titled his head in confusion. He wasn't prepared for that question. "Yuusuke died because of those nobles—

"What is vengeance going to accomplish?!" Setsuka yelled, startling the Uchiha. "Onii-chan is dead! He's dead! He 's dead and nothing you do now is going to bring him back!"

Sasuke's mind lapsed for a brief second, the younger Shiori's words rattling his thoughts. He had always known this fact but his brain always rejected it. It had taken a moment of a lax mental guard and the words of Yuusuke's sister to make him face the truth. Sasuke stood up, the fringes of hair shadowing his crestfallen face.

"I know that… and I don't care." The Uchiha finally admitted. "Those bastards took the only person that mattered the most to the both of us. I'm not going let them get away with that! Never!"

There was a tense silence between the both of them. Chained by the loss of their loved one, they both recalled the man that played a big part in their lives, a man who always tried to make the best of the situation and smiled no matter what happened.

And then, what none of them expected was a giggle, a small laughter coming from Setsuka. The amnesiac became crossed and was ready to admonish her.

"Onii-chan used to write ridiculous things in his letters. Things like when he would get rich, he'd buy an ice cream parlor and we'd go and eat there all the time until our stomachs get sick. Or the time when he wrote that he'd organize a festival and I would ride a palanquin all the way home. His last letters were about that he'd never approve of any boys except his blood brother."

Sasuke felt knots in his belly. He remembered those days and there were even more ridiculous things in his letters to his sister than what the latter was mentioning.

Sasuke's eyes widened as tears fell from Setsuka's face. Her giggles quickly turned into sobs and she brought her hands to her face, trying to stop the flow of salty liquid from falling further. Sasuke was not use to these situations. He was not use to providing comfort to other people… not since Yuusuke had died. For the first time in a long time, he was bewildered at what was the appropriate thing to do.

Taking a moment to consider, Sasuke reached out with his hand –

"I'm glad I'm getting married to Akechi Mitsuhide...

His hand stopped; Sasuke watched her as Setsuka brought her face out of her hands and glared at him, her make up was a mess and her eyes were red and moist with the black eye liner she had on. "Because I don't want to get married to Uchiha Sasuke!"

The Uchiha didn't know how to respond to this. Setsuka continued to aggravate the situation. "You are not the kind, gentle soul that my brother wrote about in his letters. You're not the man that I dreamt about meeting in my dreams, the man who would by mine and onii-chan's side! You're nothing like the man onii-chan described at all!"

Sasuke's arm dropped to his side as he looked away. He was unable to bear anymore reprimand from his blood brother's sister. Yuusuke had always told him he had the potential to be a heartbreaker, but Sasuke bet that he would never had figured it would be in this sense, at this very moment.

The irony left a vile taste in his mouth.

"Be ready for the night to come." He walked out of the room, leaving a sobbing Setsuka and the Souma Household.

* * *

_**Soul Reaper Omake**_

'Akechi Mitsuhide!'

The roaring voice of Oichi could be heard throughout the castle. The one that was called for made himself present for the needs of the noblewoman.

"Yes, my lady?"

"There's something I need you do to for me. Come here..."

Hideyoshi was prancing in the halls, happy that he had finally found this 'pocky' Lady Oichi was fond of. Wanting to surprise the noblewoman, he approached her personal quarters. Upon getting closer to her door, he began to hear… bizarre sounds. Sounds that he wasn't sure he was supposed to hear.

"Yes… yes… right there." Lady Oichi moaned.

"Seems like you're not getting enough of this." Mitsuhide said.

"You have—ah! Harder!" Oichi cried out. Hideyoshi's face reddened with envy and absolute rage, hearing Akechi grunt in return. What was he supposed to do? If he barged in, he was sure to get his head hauled off but he couldn't just let Mitsuhide have his way with the second priceless object of his desires.

"Mmm… oh Mitsuhide, that's so good."

This was the last straw! He was going in there, no matter how intruding it might have seemed. Suddenly, Lady Noh appeared beside him.

"What's going on?" She said, opening the shoji door and alarming at the same time Nobunaga's sandal-bearer. She stepped in and closed the door right before Hideyoshi could get in.

"Hey! That sounds fun! Let me in on it!"

A threesome was occurring and the sandal-bearer's member could not hold out any longer. He rushed open the door and witnessed a completely unexpected seen.

Sasuke was sitting on a stool, hands on Lady Oichi's feet. Only when Nohime told Sasuke she wanted a foot massage too and did not forget to inform on the man's little spying moment did Hideyoshi realized he was gonna get more than just a cold shower.

Lady Oichi's signature ogre-like fuming face announced his days were numbered.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** _ _Yeah its a double update today everyone haha. _

_Why you ask?_

_Cuz I f*uckin want to thats why! _

_Anyways I'm being seriosu bout the whole omake and antagonist thing. Seriously PM me about it._

**_Wolf's Honour_**


	25. The Second Coming of the Black Light

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

_**Author's Note:**_ _Triple update anybody? No? Well too f*cking bad b*tches!_

* * *

Mitsuhide was sent on a patrol near the border that once stood the Enryaku-ji temple. He wasn't quite sure why they would send him this far into the night but he guessed that it was in case of resurgence. Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't quite right in the air, or rather, smelled right.

The clearing had been set on fire and the instigators of the blaze appeared in masse. The leader of the group, clad in golden tassels, trudged upon the scorched earth with sword in hand.

"Akechi Mitsuhide... I've always known that you were a threat, sprouting dissent and chaos in my lord's castle. The time of your end has finally come. Lord Nobunaga has decreed you a _problem_ to be taken care of as soon as possible."

"So what? You think you can take me on?" Mitsuhide said. Hashiba looked at his accomplices and they started laughing.

"You're mistaken. I'm not going to soil my hands with your irrefutably stained blood. Heaven would punish me for even giving an ounce of care to a waste of space like you." Nobunaga's vassal said, getting others to roar with laughter. "Any last words?"

"Yeah...you should really stop overexerting the pile of shit you have for brains." Akechi said with a grin equally arrogant as latter fumed with rage at the insult.

"Kill him!" He roared.

Mitsuhide fought well against his opponents, but the numbers overpowered him. He was finally taken down after taking five stabs to various parts in his chest. Hashiba spat on his cold body and kicked it as well. "Filthy bastard… leave his body here for the crows to feast upon. Serves him right." He ordered.

After they left, a figure dropped down from a tree branch and walked towards the dead body. His eyes examined it from head to toe and deemed it to be completely lifeless. As he took a single step away, a hand grabbed his ankle.

"Urk...g-get me out of this bod—ack—quickly!"

The figure turned back. Once again, he observed the near dead Mitsuhide Akechi with uncaring eyes.

"Murder of thirty-three civilians, fifteen Soul Reapers and also participated in the corrupt nobility affair. That goes without the embezzlement of the second, third and fourth's division money."

The near dead man squeezed his grip on the Sasuke's ankle. "So? What the fuck was I supposed to do? You Soul Reapers lock us up inside a test tube for like hundreds of years and then finally decide we're no good! I had to let loose!" he said, coughing up the backed up blood he held down to rant.

His grip weakened when he heard the unsheathing of a blade. "H-Hey, w-what do you—

"There's no mercy for either of us. The least I can do for you is end your pain quickly and send you to hell." The Uchiha said, eyes briefly flashing red before plunging the sword in the man's heart and twisting it.

"Don't worry. I'll be right behind you."

* * *

Blood splashed left and right like carbonated drinks under pressure. He cut down the guard with single, fast and hard paced strikes, not even giving them the time to warn anyone. He leaped up to the final floor of the castle and cut the wall down with electric layered _Asauchi_. There, he was met with an unexpected situation.

"Lord Nobunaga was right... you are not who we were expecting."

The statement came from a man who wore classic, black, skin-tight shinobi clothing. Only the blue scarf around his neck that covered up to his face and the samurai helmet on his head stood him out. He was accompanied by six other unknown, color coded soldiers at his side.

"That is not Akechi Mitsuhide." A red armored man fiddling with an unlighted explosive said.

"That is the understatement of the year, Kamon." Another warrior said, dressed with golden outlined dark blue armor, holding a bow in his hands.

"Understatement or not, Yaichi, he looks pretty weak." Another one commented, clad in dark armor, spinning a spear that had a long black wire attached at its end.

"Appearances can be deceiving, Yariza." A man holding a sword in each hand, wearing green armor said.

"Indeed, Nisashi. Let us proceed with caution." Another one said, hoisting a long, black sword on his shoulder.

"Enough chatter! Down with the scoundrel!" The last one said. He wore golden armor and held in his hands, a golden spear.

"Well said, Zanji." Hattori commended. "Six Samurai of the Tokugawa House… eliminate him."

The six warriors ran towards the Uchiha. The latter threw ground spikes, slowing down their movements. He then exited the room and jumped on the castle's roof. Nisashi, the one with the wired spear, was the first one to initiate an attack. Sasuke evaded the thrust and pinned the weapon down with his feet. He then jumped again and grabbed his opponent's throat with his legs. Sasuke then flipped him over with great force, watching the figure fall out of the castle.

He suddenly sensed five more presences. Kamon and Yaichi remained at the back while Zanji, Nisashi and Irou charged at him. Sasuke evaded the sweep from the spear attack and quickly drew his blade to block an attack from the lone sword wielder. The Uchiha sensed an attack from above. He cartwheeled to the side, releasing the five hidden _anken_ he cloaked in his legs. Only one successfully hit Nisashi in his arms. Ironically, Sasuke was grazed by one of Yaichi's arrows. He heard the multiple clackety sounds below him. He skidded backwards all the while throwing Chidori senbon to diffuse the small bombs that Kamon had thrown as well. However, one of them had managed to blow up.

"Chance!" Nisashi yelled as dashed towards the smoke, much to the warning of his comrades. He saw Sasuke falling from the sky and proceeded to quickly position himself behind him and pierce the man's chest with his able arm.

"Got him!" He said, fully content. The satisfaction turned to shock when Sasuke's body melted into mud. "What the hell is that?"

"Kawarirmi." Sasuke's cold voice said behind him, plunging the nameless blade right through the double sword wielder's lung. He finished the lethal blow with an electric discharge. His Sharingan eye peered over to the projectile users and saw his opportunity when Kamon and Yaichi were readying their assault.

_"Katon: Karyuu Endan!"_

A flaming dragon swooped down and devoured with magnanimous heat the two warriors. The explosion that occurred during the flaming dragon technique confirmed the Uchiha that they had been struck. He landed expertly on the castle's tiles and watched two terrified assailants.

"H-How can that be? We're the Six Samurai of the Tokugawa! How could… we've been taken down so easily?" Zanji pondered.

"I don't—I don't understand it at all." Irou said.

"Yes… me either."

Sasuke had flash-stepped behind them in the moment the two had talked. The two whipped around just in time for Sasuke to kick the spear user with so much force, he was thrown into the air. Irou came down with a slash, to which the avenger merely side-stepped and plunged a Chidori into the man's right lung. He then soared in the sky, appearing behind Zanji's falling body and used his Chidori current to paralyze him. The discharge continued as he locked his arms around Zanji's abdomen and secured his ankles around his throat.

_Hayabusa Kaminari Otoshi!_

From afar, it would've looked like a single, straight bolt of lightning, rendering the air and creating sounds akin to thunder pops. The last of the Six Samurai was piledrived into the ground, the sound of neck snapping confirming his death. Sasuke freed himself from his body, the latter wobbling before landing with a thud. Hattori clapped his hands.

"Well done… but you forgot one." He said. Out of the blue, a chain wire coiled itself around Sasuke's neck. Yariza appeared from beneath, poised to impale the Uchiha. The latter wasn't distressed at all. He simply grabbed the wire and invoked a spell.

"Way of Destruction no. 11: Bound Lightning."

A current of electricity followed the wire all the way to its wielder, sending shocking jolts down his body. The latter wasn't given time to recompose himself as Sasuke turned around a imitated a gun pose with his finger on his forehead. He slid it down the middle at eye level and conjured his next technique.

"Way of Destruction no. 4: Pale lightning."

Thunderous light briefly illuminated the sky as Yariza's body fell down on top of Zanji's. Sasuke turned around for his next target.

" Captain Soifon has taught you well..." Hattori began. "...The 2nd Division always finds a shadow to consume the light out of someone, especially when one such shadow is the third-seated officer of the _Onmitsukido_."

Sasuke's crimson eyes narrowed. "How long?"

"Just now." Hanzo unsheathed his zanpakutou. "Crimson eyes with three, black tomoes within the irises with dark potent _reiatsu _that screams rage and murder. Your reputation precedes you, _Onimusha_. I can see why they call you as such… however…"

The dark-clad soul snapped his fingers. "The skills of one shadow… means nothing against hundreds." Castle soldiers filed in, swarming the room and the exterior hallway. They were too numerable to count and although the Uchiha would've simply shrugged at the multitude, he recognized some of them as Special Forces operatives and also as regular Soul Reapers of the Gotei Thirteen. It was then that he recognized that some of the men present weren't even wearing the Oda standard on their haori, but the blue and gold of the Tokugawa House, which was subservient to the Oda. With Hanzo in tow, an infamous Soul Reaper whose name was known even in the _Onmitsukido_ as a dangerous individual, Sasuke grimaced.

"Confidences is your downfall." The leader of the motley force sneered. "Too bad for you. Now you'll never reach Lord Nobunaga and you are too late. You shall be consumed by the darkness."

"Too late for what?" Sasuke queried.

"It doesn't matter. Kill him." He ordered. Just as they were about to rush in, the doors to Nobunaga's chambers burst open. A single woman entered, drawing all the attention with her green gambling cloak and black hakama pants. She wore no undergarment, covering her upper body with bandages. Her long headband and scaled armguards only accentuated her eccentric clothing. Whispers of recognition spread throughout the soldiers.

"Lady Noh… whether to say I am surprised or not will be left to the purpose of you coming here." Hanzo said.

"Nothing really... it's just that someone has failed to exterminate the rats in my castle." She said in her usual seductive voice. "I was hoping to lend a hand to the one that's doing that for me."

"You're betraying our Lord Nobunaga?"

"Betrayal occurs when you formed an alliance or pact with someone, Han-_teme_. I never recalled making such a thing with Nobu-chan." She said, blowing her nails. She looked up at the soldiers. "Still... I was hoping that some of you might be willing to join me."

Hattori snickered. "The Shadows belong to me… and your pompous nature shall be cut away. You've come to save your boy-toy with words only? Figures. It would suit a whore like you."

"Hmph. I lose your favour one day and you're already calling me names. I don't recall you being so hostile when I was by Nobu-chan's side." She said playfully.

"Heh. It's like you said, Lady Noh: I never recalled making an alliance with _you._" Hattori said. Noh huffed, as if she was routinely bored.

"Master Mitsuhide, run along now and go find Nobu-chan for me." She said.

Sasuke blinked. Was she serious? "But–"

"He has already left for District Zero. He had left even before you arrived here." Lady Noh informed him. He was not expecting Lady Noh to reveal the location of Nobunaga to him. "Go now, and decide for yourself, if his _vision_ is worthy of your devotion or not."

"The shadows shall consume you, bitch." Hattori said with a murderous tone. "Do not let him escape. Kill them both."

"Who said I was escaping?" Sasuke formed a Chidori in his left palm and shot it out, extending it in the shape of a straight blade. Hattori skillfully dodged the electrical _reiryoku_-powered blade, however the several four men behind him weren't as fortunate as they were quickly impaled and electrocuted. Sasuke loosed the rigidity of his sharp spear, using it like a whip as he cut through the impaled ones to strike three Special Forces operatives and others down.

"Run, Lady Noh! Leave this to me." Sasuke shouted, retracting his _reiryoku_ from the Chidori Sharp Spearwhile deflecting shuriken thrown by Hanzo.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and kill her!" Hanzo ordered. Though most of the castle guards were hesitant to carry out the order, the traitorous Soul Reapers were the first to act as they ran for the woman, swords held high.

'_Damn!'_ Sasuke turned and prepared to flash-step to Noh's side–

"_Reap from the shadows, __**Yamikiba**__!" _

From the movement his Sharingan caught, the Uchiha brought up his blade on his left and blocked the silver chain which coiled itself around his blade. Sasuke looked up and saw the owner of the chain to be Hanzo, who had unleashed his zanpakutou's shikai, which was a dark looking kusarigama with curved blade with was sharp on both sides. Even though Hanzo had his scarf hiding most of his face, Sasuke could tell that the dishonorable Soul Reaper was smirking.

"You stay there."

Sasuke twisted his head around, realizing he wouldn't make it to Noh's defense in time. "Lady Noh!" He cried out to her. "Run – "

"Be quiet for a minute, dear." The enchantress said in her usual sultry voice. "Your beloved Lady Noh is about to swat away some pesky flies." She whipped up the side of her gambling coat, revealing a sheathed zanpakutou. The Soul Reapers halted in their tracks, clearly not expecting the lady of the castle to be carrying such a weapon. She withdrew a _nodachi-__lengthed zanpakutou_ with razor edges and whipped up the other side of her coat and untied a jar from her hip.

"What the..." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Hattori, I've always liked my Soul Reapers…" She poured the contents of the jar on the blade. She snapped two black rings on her finger and thumb together, igniting sparks which fell on the sword and set the weapon ablaze.

"_Grilled_."

Astonishment caught everyone's eyes as the lady of the castle flash-stepped her way through the Soul Reapers, cutting them down with her flaming zanpakutou like dogs. One of the Soul Reapers moved around her from the flank and lunged, attempting to take her by surprise. Lady Noh took another mouthful of her strong sake and spewed it out onto his face. Disoriented by the burning sensation in his eyes, he did nothing to stop Noh from moving in close and slitting his throat in one quick and fluid motion.

Sasuke's Sharingan almost had trouble keeping up. She was sensationally fast, completely evading her opponent's movements and strikes like a slippery viper and then striking them down with one strike.

"Damn…" Sasuke said absently.

With the dead bodies surrounding her, she shouted to the others. "Either you're with me or you're this room's newest decoration! Make your stand!"

A harmonious quietude threw many of them in trepidation and then suddenly, one of them yelled. "For Lady Noh!"

Hattori cursed and shouted, "Those who serve Tokugawa and Lord Odakill them all!"

The unity which the men once had quickly fell into chaos, as the men who had sworn themselves to Noh attacked or were attacked by those still sworn to Lord Oda and Hanzo. The entire castle keep became a battle ground.

Sasuke released more _reiryoku_ into his _Asauchi_, covering it once again into layers of potent, hostile electrical_ reiryoku _and cut through the chain with a mighty heave of his blade. He flash-stepped behind of Hanzo and struck for a stab into the kidney; Hattori parried his strike and then began a sweeping offensive, slashing from multiple angles in such fluid motions that Sasuke only recognized in those who had served in the _Onmitsukido_. His opponent was indeed as challenging as the rumors led the man out to be.

Hanzo ducked and moved in for a sweeping kick to knock the Uchiha from beneath his feet, but Sasuke was quicker as he jumped out of the way –

Sasuke's Sharingan widened as he saw another Hanzo strike out from the shadows behind the other 'Hanzo'. He brought his blade, deflecting his kusarigama away at the last second before flying back away. Sasuke narrowed his sight on not one, but two Hanzos which slowly advanced on him.

"Clones… is that your zanpakutou's special release?"

"Perceptive, Onimusha…" the left 'Hanzo' said.

"But still no match for the Darkness." The right 'Hanzo' said.

Sasuke felt a sharp killing intent behind him and twisted on his heel, Chidori coming to life in his free hand as he struck out at another Hanzo... which dissipated into the shadows. Sasuke swung back around, just in time to parry another pair of strikes from the two 'Hanzos'.

"You cannot…"

"Take on the Darkness!"

'_Damn it!' _Sasuke cursed mentally, focused on parrying and deflecting his opponent(s) strikes. He couldn't find an opening to counter at all. He brought up his blade and managed to catch both of their chain sickles into a deadly embrace; the Hanzos were putting their weight on him and slowly Sasuke found himself bending on one knee.

The Left 'Hanzo' chuckled. "It appears that the shadow's fang …"

"Shall sink into your flesh." The Right 'Hanzo' finished.

"_Chidori Nagashi!" _

Feeding _reiryoku_ into the electrical currents, waves shaped like arcs of electricity shot forth from Sasuke's body. The currents hit and enveloped the two Hanzos; one of which disappeared into the shadows while the other was forced back by the currents. He skidded across the wooden floor before he rolled back onto one knee.

Sliding his _Asauchi_ into its sheath, Sasuke made quick hand-signs and took in a deep breath. _"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"_

The several small fire balls took flight across the large room. Hanzo saw the streaming balls of flames and released _Yamikiba's_ chain, spinning the sickle over his head before throwing it out like an arc and intercepting four of the fire balls, cutting them in half and breaking the flaming balls apart into sprouts before they could reach him. The other balls hit three unlucky individuals which shielded him from the Uchiha's attack.

"Perhaps I've underestimated you." Hanzo said. He pulled at his chain and summoned his sickle back, the blade covered in the blood of a one of the men who were currently battling around them. "No more."

Sasuke took a defensive stance with his blade –

His Sharingan caught movement which was head for his direction. However, he held his blade once he recognized who it was that now stood in front of him.

"I'll take care of this buffoon," Lady Noh told the Uchiha. "You need to go and find Nobu-chan."

"Lady Noh," Sasuke was clearly surprised by the woman's intervention; he'd never in a million years figured the woman as being a warrior. "What are you…"

"How many more times do I have to tell you to go and leave?" She exasperated. "Don't forget why you are here!"

Sasuke was taken aback temporarily but he shook it off and nodded. He kept his eyes on Hanzo. "His shikai allows him to create clones of himself. So far he likes to go in with another clone by his side and will try to keep you off balance and always looking over your shoulder. I do not know what else he's capable of though."

Lady Noh smiled mischievously. "Oh I know what our good buffoon is capable of. Do not worry your pretty little head about me… or maybe I want you too, actually."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the woman's flirtatious ways. She still found it easy to say such things amidst all this chaos. "Hn." He turned around to leave –

Noh grabbed him by his shoulder. "Wait! Your real name… what is it?"

Seeing no point in hiding it at this point from the woman who had come as an unexpected ally, the amnesiac said, "…Uchiha Sasuke."

"I see…"

She brought herself into his chest and lifted her chin up, giving the undercover _Onmitsukido _agent another unexpected kiss. He tasted her lips, taking notice for the first time how soft they were and how they tasted like grapes with a hint of strawberries before she withdrew.

Noh smiled on last time, looking at him with what he knew to be desire. "It's a good name, a strong name for a handsome man too."

She let go of him and pushed his shoulder away. "Now leave and see my foolish husband's true vision for yourself!"

Sasuke took one last look at the lady, torn between staying to help her against Hanzo and completing his mission, before hardening himself once again and jumping from the castle keep, heading in the direction of District Zero.

Noh turned back to Hanzo, her mischievous smile twisting a smirk. "Now then Han-_teme_…" She poured sake on her blade and snapped her flint rings together, igniting her sword once again.

"Let's continue where my _boy-toy_ left off."

* * *

_**Court of Pure Souls, Western Gate.**_

A congregation of soul reapers stood in formations, waiting for their captain's command. A total of nearly five hundred at best, Captain Soifon and Kuchiki Byakuya were poised to begin at any time.

"The twenty second hour is nigh. We should commence the operation." Capatin Kuchiki said.

"Indeed." She then turned to face their Strike Force. "All of you prepare for mobilization. Remember your quarries and assigned areas. Do not—

"Attention all captains of the Gotei Thirteen. Attention all captains of the Gotei Thirteen! Intruders located near the vicinity of Lost Zero! Prepare for deployment. Attention all captains of the Gotei Thirteen. Intruders..."

Fear and panic coursed through the ranks. Cold shivers ran down Soifon's spine as well as Byakuya. For so long as they could remember, everyone they knew dreaded that apocalyptic declaration. It was frustrating that out of all the things they knew they could fight, they could not fight against the unpredictable matter that was Lost Zero. Every day was a silent prayer that it would remain at a standstill and that the Black Purgatory Gates held and when that day ended, another silent prayer was sent to thank God that it remained slumbering. The two captains exchanged knowing looks with each other, hoping that it was only a single intruder and nothing else.

* * *

Captain Ukitate could still hear the dreadful blearing of bells and sirens, the chaos at which everyone ran to attend the menace. It brought him back to that day nearly two hundred years ago, when Lost Zero appeared like Judgment Day. He looked at his sword with determination, and then stepped out.

"Sentaro! Kiyone! Prepare for mobilization of the Division!"

* * *

Unohana Retsu remembered that day all too well. It was the last time she saw a smile on her captain's face before her untimely death. Lost Zero had taken everything from her cherished captain. She would not let any intruder do anything of the sort.

* * *

Kyoraku smiled, remembering the good old times. If he was the life of the party, _that_ man was the life of Soul Society. Lost Zero had taken many things that day and Kyoraku wasn't one to forgive those who would take the joy out of people.

He took one last look at his cherished photograph and left his quarters.

* * *

Commander-General Shigekuni Yamamoto Genryuusai was old. Old of age, of wisdom, of battle, of life. He had met many people who left pieces of their strength and courage with him. The three _mythical _legendary Soul Reapers were one of the people who had left an impression on him and he always felt like it wasn't right that God had taken the lives of the young ones and left the old ones to continue the everlasting struggle. Still, he would bear the burden with pride, as to not shame the names of those fallen.

With his captaincy _haori_ on his back, he marched onwards, _Ryuujin Jakka_ prepared to punish those who would disrupt the peace that those sacrifices had created.

* * *

Sasuke was already midway to his destination when the celestial bodies and the moon were being covered up by a black light. His eyes watched in terror as a bubbling mass of matter began to rise from the peak of Lost Zero. As it continued its growth, it began to take concrete shape, resembling more of a black tower affronting the heavens.

"What the..."

The unnatural black skies were now being sucked in by the peak of the tower and once the last bit of it was drawn in, a piercing, thin black beam shot out. Crimson eyes watched as the black matter struck the walls of Seireitei, making the Uchiha's heart skip a beat. However, there was no form of explosion nor was there any indication of damage from where he stood…

Rather, something far more sinister than anything Sasuke could ever imagine came.

The dark matter spread along the walls like a virus, coating the once dull green into a pitch black. It continued its cancerous spread, now covering the skies directly above the Court of Pure Souls. Fear finally sent Sasuke into shivers and he swallowed back his nervousness and fear hard.

The Court of Pure Souls no longer resembled its former self.

It looked exactly like what the book the Tales of the Gallant Soul Reapers described of the past event which had nearly destroyed Soul Society.

A second Lost Zero.

* * *

_**Shinigami Omake**_

Vice-Captain Kusajishi woke up from the alarm. She was still dazed by the sudden wake-up call and the fact that it was darker than usual outside threw her random biological clock out of schedule. Just like always, she was hungry and needed a snack. The problem was that after blowing up the kitchen with her failed attempt at a cake, the only thing missing from the repairs was an actual lightbulb. Suddenly, she had an excellent idea.

_Fifteen minutes later..._

"Hmm... This is good!" She said, dunking her double-stuffed cream cookie into her glass of milk.

"Captain?" A dark, quiet voice said from above.

"Yes?" The pink-haired little girl said, looking up.

"DON'T SAY 'YES?' LIKE ITS NORMAL AND UNSCREW MY HEAD FROM THE FUCKING CEILING!" Ikkaku screamed in drastic rage. "IT'S NOT EVEN FUCKING SHINING FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

"But..." The tenth division vice-captain said in completely serious voice. "...you _brighten_ up this place."

"**I DON'T! I REALLY FUCKING DON'T**! **NO!**"

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_ _How do you guys like that little fight scene that I added in with Sasuke and Hanzo? Honestly I felt that when you give a character a name like Hattori Hanzo, you need to at least make an effort to show just how __**badass**__ he is._

_Someone who could put Sasuke on the ropes and still not be fully putting in his full strength? Check. _

_A fearless and infamous discharged Soul Reaper of the 2__nd__ Division? Check._

_A Badass shinobi? FUCKING CHECK!_

_Why a triple update? Because I'm taking some time away from Fanfiction for a time. Probably a month, two at most. I've found that I've come across a serious writer's block. Every time I try and type something or I sit down and write I cannot for the life of me come up with anything that feels right to me. I have a hard trying to put stuff down and even though I have an idea of what I want to write, I cannot get it down in the manner in which I wish to portray it. Even when I was writing out the fight scene between Hanzo and Sasuke, I had a hard time putting it down and being satisfied with it. I wrote it out at lest ten different times before I finally became satisfied with what I had. _

_And in all honesty, I still feel like its shit. _

_I just... I just don't know anymore. I've honestly been having self-doubts about whether or not I should even be a writer. I mean ever since I finished Chapter Six of Digital Redemption its like all the gears in my head came to a stop. I've lost my muse... and I've lost my creativity and imagination... or at least I feel like I have. _

_I don't know what to do... so I'm going to take a couple months away from fanfiction and writing and see what I can do. I don't know what it is that'll bring it back but until I get that spark back, until I can find a muse, writing is just out of my reach. _

_Does that mean I'm giving up? No. I just don't know... when exactly I'll be coming back to it again. If any of you have felt like this before and found solutions to over come it, please feel free to hit me up with a PM about it or email me actually because like I said I'll be taking time AWAY from the site._

_Hope you guys are satisfied with these three updates.. cuz I don't feel it. _

_Still waiting on those Omakes and antagonist ideas! I'll push it to June! _

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	26. The Demon King's Deception: Final Cut

**Transcending Bonds**

_**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty_

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

**_Author's Notes_****_: _**_Holy fuck… I just read chapter 631 of Naruto and I just was like… WTF for like five minutes. I done read the chapter at least three different times cuz of how epic this shit was! If you guys jeep tabs on the Naruto manga, please give me your thoughts on it cuz I have only one thing to say about Sasuke becoming the next Hokage… _

_Fuck. The. Hell. Yes!_

_In honour of Sasuke's Return and his declaration that he'll become Hokage, I've pulled all the stops! _

_From here on out things are going to change drastically. I repeat drastically, as in the removal of certain characters that Imperialpatty had originally placed and the appearance of new characters of my own design. Certain characters like Desire that Patty had placed will be staying… but he is going to be revamped by me to fit my impression of what exactly he and the others should be like. _

_You guys all voiced your opinions about wanting things to change, so I'm going to bring about some change. And I ain't mean no Obama-style change, I mean REAL change._

_**Special thanks** to The Woman on a Flaming Pie and Jared, and everyone else who sent me advice on how to overcome writer's block. Your ideas contributed to this chapter being published._

* * *

Various destructive Kidō spells were shot towards the void that enveloped the soul negating atmosphere that stemmed from the walls of Seireitei. Not only were they completely ineffective but they gave all soul reapers a good reason to not attempt going through physically: all attacks were swallowed up.

"Tell the Kidō squads to cease fire. Nothing they or anyone else does will dispel this darkness." Soifon addressed the Kidō Corps Commander. "The readings clearly show this is stemming from Lost Zero."

"Yes ma'am." The soul reaper said with a salute and went off. The second division captain was then approached by Kuchiki Byakuya, the stern expression on his features silently communicating the need to speak in private. The two put some distance between them and the other captains.

"What do you think, Captain Soifon?" Byakuya asked, referring to the timing of their dispatch. Soifon brought a hand to her chin in pensive reflection.

"I think there was an information leak. This 'dome' has not only blockaded the entirety Gotei Thirteen from moving but our communication lines have also been cut. Attempting a simple, forbidden teleportation spell is undoable as well." Soifon said.

"Then Lord Nishimura would be at fault then. He is our only liaison for the Strike Force," Byakuya said, his normally stoic face twisting to a frown. "We have been played."

"What I don't understand is how was he able to manipulate Lost Zero to create a perfectly circumference barrier completely around Seireitei. That form of control does not even belong to the most skilled of Soul Reapers, let alone a normal living soul."

Two grand presences cut their secret exchange, one being the perpetually ill captain of the 13th Division and the other being the flamboyant leader of the 8th Division.

"Sorry to step into your little private chat but we think we might have a solution..."

* * *

With force and speed that could rival that of a bullet train, Uchiha Sasuke rushed through the air and stopped with great force near the destructive catalyst. He dragged himself from the crater he created and only when he faced the dome did he feel the overwhelming impulse that quaked through his entire being, so much so that he reeled from the effect and almost lost his balance. It was as if his insides were constantly subjected to a tremor that rippled across his bones. It wasn't a weight like that time when he faced Urahara but more like a nauseating, gut-wrenching feeling.

Being face to face with the dome only made him realize how small he was compared to it. He made the allusion to the time when he went to Karakura Stadium and Lost Zero resembled that, except it was like someone stacked two stadiums on top of one another and added another one on the side to increase length. He ran towards it, determined to end Nobunaga's life once and for all.

The closer he got, the more he was being engulfed in an opaque black mist. Still, even in the thick of it, he could see a lone figure standing between him and the unstable catastrophe.

"Nobunaga! What have you done?" he asked, seething with rage.

"Yes... what has he done indeed?"

The voice did not belong to the demon king at all. It was in a drawled out tone but with traces of malignant clarity. The figure approached the Uchiha close enough to be in his field of vision and what Sasuke saw completely confounded him.

The man's appearance was foreign, reminiscent of a European nineteenth-century business attire, clad in white jacket with a black, collared shirt worn beneath, white loose end pants, black-tinted glasses and black boots. The stranger had no hair to cover the entirety of his pale head, and his noble-like posture only emphasized his appearance. A chained book was held in the man's right hand at the side of his hip, which had a silver demonic-design on the clasp and a single large red stone embedded within the front cover. The only things that did not appear to go with his appearance was what appeared like a bold black capitol 'D' with the number '2' beside it that could be seen on his left cheek.

However the most eerie thing about the stranger was that of his _reiatsu_.

Reiatsu signatures were all unique, based around not only the individual's strength but also of the individual's will, his/her weaknesses and above all else their strength of mind. However, while all _reiatsu_ were different they each had something in common: Soul Reapers and Hollows carried certain… _'weight'_ within their _reiatsu _which made them thick shall you say, while living souls were more loose and thin.

Yet, this strange man's _reiatsu_ did not fall into any of those categories. It felt out of place, eerie and coarse; it was thick yet it was not. It had a dark feeling to it yet the intent was anything but dark. To Sasuke, his reiatsu felt like nails scratching against a hard blackboard which only served to confuse him.

Sasuke's grip on his zanpakutou's hilt tightened ever so slightly as he poised it into a ready position. His Sharingan narrowed, his crimson hawk gaze aimed directly at the stranger. "Who are you?"

The stranger brought his free pale hand up and pushed his glasses up with his index finger. He turned his body half way around, looking at the heaven piercing tower behind him.

"A most wondrous sight, is it not?" He said with a tone which Sasuke believed to be that of glee. "The epitome of Soul Society's greatest sins and vanity, God's answer to every soul, and Nobunaga's Final Solution… yes can you not feel it's power? Can you not feel the resonance of all the souls that it has taken to salvation, the desire of each and every one to see this false utopia collapse unto itself?"

"I asked you a question!" Sasuke shouted, quickly losing whatever patience he had left. "Who the hell are you?!"

The stranger turned his head and looked at Sasuke, his black tinted glasses keeping his eye's expressions from the Uchiha. The stranger shook his head before releasing a low sigh. "Yes... I suppose introductions are in place. After all, it will not be the last time you will see me, nor my other... unpleasant co-workers, should you succeed in stopping Oda Nobunaga."

Suddenly, the earth beneath them began to quake. Undaunted by the seismic seizure, Sasuke waited for an answer. The man grinned, equally impervious to the earthquake.

"I'm not going to hold you up long," He informed the Uchiha. "After all, it is in both of our best interest if you stop the so-called _'Demon King of Soul Society'_ before he truly lives up to the moniker. Although it is unbecoming of me to admit it, it appears that I may have pushed his desire to achieve his _vision_ a little too far."

"So you're in on it too?" Sasuke asked darkly.

"And what exactly do you mean when you ask if I'm _'in of it'_; in on what exactly?"

"Don't play games with me!" Sasuke yelled in anger and impatience. He felt an ever-growing desire to simply close the distance and decapitate the stranger where he stood, however his mental discipline that came with being in the _Onmitsukido_ was the only thing staying his hand.

The spectacle-wearing stranger let out a low chuckle, bringing his hand back up and covering his forehead. Only when he arched forward did his low chuckles cease.

There was a sudden spike in his _reiatsu_ and all too quickly Sasuke felt a cold feeling of dread begin to build up in the bottommost part of his abdomen. It was close to be suffocating. When the stranger opened his mouth, the voice that came out was warped, deep and encompassing like an echo, like a man possessed by a demonic presence. He lifted his free hand out in front of him in a dramatic fashion, pointing directly at Sasuke before swinging it out to his side.

"**_I am the Second Pale Horse of Darkness under the Black Phoenix. I am the manifestation of the innermost desires that stem from the darkness within a soul. As such, I am… Desire_****."**

And as quickly as he finished speaking his name to the Uchiha did the stranger's _reiatsu_ begin to die down, allowing the Uchiha a small measure of comfort. A cold bead of sweat fell down from his brow to his chin as Sasuke regained his composure.

'_What… what the hell was that sensation? It was unlike any spiritual pressure I've ever felt.'_

The stranger brought his hand back up to his face and readjusted his glasses. "Remember my name well, Uchiha Sasuke, for if you wish to know more, than you'll have to stop Nobunaga first." He gestured to Lost Zero. "Fortunately for you that tower is the only thing capable to sustain anyone's _reiatsu_. It will be there that you shall find the madman that is Nobunaga and where you must stop his vision from taking form."

"Why are you…"

A red glow came from Desire's tome. The pale stranger looked at the book with interest for a short moment before looking back to the Uchiha. "It appears that my time in this realm is at an end. With that said… I bid you – "

The sharp tip of Sasuke's zanpakutou was only an inch away from the stranger's cervical vertebrae. The Uchiha mentally thanked his captain for teaching him the proper uses of the Shunpo.

"Shunpo, the Flash Step. Used by a great many in the _Onmitsukido_ to get around their opponents and strike them from the back without as much as a fight from their opponent. I've seen it used before, but not quite as quickly as you. Normally, I would be impressed but then again... I've already seen you use it much more efficiently before."

A cold feeling came over the Uchiha as his eyes narrowed down even more on the man. "What do you mean by that? I haven't ever… ACK!

A sudden pain came stinging from his eyes, a strong burning sensation that he had never felt before. It was so potent and strong in feeling that it brought Sasuke to lower his blade and fall to one knee, his hand instinctively coming up to his eye socket. "What… why is there…? AGHH!"

Desire looked at his book once more, seeing the red gem glow brighter than before. He looked to the Uchiha's kneeling form than back to his book than back to the Uchiha once again. A small smile formed on his pale face. "It appears that _he_ was telling the truth after all… you really are Uchiha Sasuke, or what is left of him."

Sasuke struggled to focus his sight on Desire's towering form. All he saw was a blur and… red. In fact he felt a liquid falling from his eye and it was too thick to be water. "How… do you… know ACK!" He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to cope with the burning pain he felt from his eyes. Why was his Sharingan reacting like this?

"It is like I told you…" Desire began to walk away from the Uchiha and the pain that Sasuke felt began to slowly lessen with every foot of distance Desire created between them. He managed to open his eyes again; he couldn't focus his sight completely but he could make out see Desire's retreating back just some meters away from him. "If you desire to learn more, than you must deal with the threat that currently faces Soul Society. If you succeed, only then will you be ready to face others like you."

Sasuke could only watch in his ever-increasing confusion as Desire brought up his arm and waved it out; a hole _ripped_ open the sky, the same hole that was created whenever a Menos Grande retreated from the field. Desire entered the dimensional rip and turned back to the Uchiha. He gave him a mocking salute before the rip sealed up and disappeared like it had never existed in the first place.

It was only then that the pain his eyes felt finally died down and the Uchiha regained his vision. Once the pain had ceased, his mind began to race with hundreds of question that were left in the wake of Desire's withdrawal. Who the hell was he? Why did he talk like he knew him, like he had an idea of who he was?

As much as Sasuke wanted to believe that Desire was only playing games with him, the way his Sharingan had reacted when he had come close to the stranger and how he knew his name left him thinking otherwise. Caught between disbelief and the constant reminder that was the earthquake, Sasuke bitterly gritted his teeth in resignation to his thoughts, clearing his mind of his questions before rushing towards the top of the black tower.

* * *

"Ah, there it is."

About a hundred Soul Reapers or so were pushing a wheeled, sophisticated cart carrying a strange device that many had never seen before, save for the commander-general and his adjutant, Kyoraku and his best friend and Captain Unohana. Its height was on par with a catapult and it sported a very sci-fi look. Its tip suggested it to be a long range firing weapon.

"Its old and worn out but it still can pack a punch." Kyoraku said in his usual jovial tone, as if the urgency of the situation was but a complete afterthought to him.

"That weapon…" Kurotsuchi Mayuri mouthed in awe. He had only seen images and reports about it but it was the first time that he had actually _seen_ it.

"A prototype weapon used during the first Lost Zero incident." Ukitake informed the rest of the Soul Reapers present. "The anti-Zero weapon: the Requiem Cannon."

Captain Unohana stared stiffly at the weapon. "It failed on its first try though. Why bring it out for use again?"

"Because, Captain Unohana, we're not aiming this thing at Lost Zero. We're aiming it at the thing that's covering up Seireitei." Captain Kyoraku told her. "All we need now is the proper ammunition… right Captain Soifon?"

The Captain of the 2nd Division arched a perplexed eyebrow. "I'm afraid you've lost me."

Now it was Kyoraku's turn to be confused. He brought his hand up and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you know… that _thing._"

"What _thing_?" Soifon asked, getting more irritated by her fellow captain's antics with each passing second. "Make sense already."

The flamboyant man sighed. "Woman, don't make me spell it out for you. Its – "

Ukitake brought his hand on the 8th Division captain's shoulder, stopping the flamboyant Soul Reaper from speaking further. "Shunsui, it's possible that _she_ didn't mention anything to Captain Soifon." He whispered. "Remember, it's only been near a century since Soifon became Captain of the 2nd Division."

Shunsui nodded in understanding, letting out a small click of his tongue that did not go unnoticed by the Soul Reapers in question. "_Ohhhhh_… right. Damn of all the things to forget to mention to her…"

When Soifon was about to give him a piece of her mind, the commander-general's presence was made known. "Enough! Kyoraku, just simply tell her what you need from her. Do not prolong this any longer than necessary."

"Alright! Jeez cut me some slack here it's not my faults she's so damn intimidating." Kyoraku walked up to Soifon and leaned over to her, whispering in her ear.

Soifon's eyes widened before he drew herself back two steps away from Kyoraku. "No! You cannot expect me to…"

Kyoraku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah 'fraid so! Yours is the only one that has enough power to really give this baby the punch it needs, y'know?"

"But I haven't ever used the damn thing in God knows how long!"

"Doesn't matter. Fact remains that we need you to do this."

The whole exchange was observed by the other captains present and they too were beginning to have thoughts on what Captains Ukitate, Shunsui, Retsu and Genryuusai needed from Captain Soifon that it needed to be whispered rather than spoken aloud for them to hear.

"I don't care! I do not want nor do I see the need for me to – "

"Captain Soifon!"

The loud thunderous voice of the Commander-General silenced the voices of Kyoraku and Soifon in an instant, gathering the attention of all the Soul Reaper's present. "As much as we know of your… disfavor for having to call upon that, this isn't something that you can argue your way out of. This is required of you for the continued preservation of all of Soul Society and you shall do it without hesitation. Is that clear, Captain?"

Soifon opned her mouth to speak but closed it upon seeing the look in the Commander-General's eyes. She narrowed her eyes at Kyoraku. "…Understood. Just tell me what to do."

"Then let us proceed." Retsu said, giving orders to the kido squad as well to the other Soul Reapers to prepare themselves.

* * *

Sasuke landed cautiously on the rippling platform and only the solidity it provided gave the Uchiha a sense of relief. Once he gained sure footing on the platform, he took a few steps forward, scanning the area around him before his eyes angrily narrowed down on the other, only figure on the platform with him.

Standing in the center of the black marble-like platform, with his back turned to Uchiha and wearing a modified violet shihakusho, with the right side of the shihakusho hanging of his right side and arm wasn't covered, was Oda Nobunaga. The Demon King's quarry, posture and guard were as lax as ever.

"Nobunaga!" Sasuke shouted.

The Lord of the Oda House turned his head slightly, his eye glancing to Sasuke's general direction. "I see that Hanzo failed to stop you… pity." He turned around to face the Uchiha fully, bearing a stoic expression. "So… you are Akechi Mitsuhide's true face, I presume?"

"You…" Sasuke began his voice as low and dark as possible. Only the innumerable questions in his mind stopped him from outright killing him. He had to know the answers first. "Why all of this? What is the point in doing all of this?"

"Demanding me to grant an explanation for 'All of this' would be asking me to recount an entirety of event and deaths I had planned. Where do you want me to begin?" He asked.

"What are you trying to accomplish?"

Nobunaga seemed to throw his thoughts in order before answering the enraged Soul Reaper. "Many things. At the moment, the elimination of several other districts in West Rukon is first on the list."

Sasuke was taken aback. "What… why?!"

"All for my vision."

Upon hearing Nobunaga's answer, whatever vestiges of restraint Sasuke had left abandoned him. Forming hand-signs quickly, he charged up a deadly potent Chidori in his left hand and flashed-stepped behind Nobunaga. His Sharingan spun as he aimed for the left shoulder where he would ravage the nobleman's beating heart.

_Chidori!_

As he threw his jab, Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in surprise as Nobunaga twisted around his jab, completely avoiding it and leaving Sasuke open for a counter. Nobunaga brought up his right hand, palm open to the Uchiha's side and smirked; a sudden strong push sent Sasuke flying in mid-air by an invisible force. He tucked and rolled, allowing his Chidori to die as he rolled to a stop and on one knee.

"Hmph. Is this the best that you are capable of, third-seated officer of the 2nd Division… Uchiha Sasuke of the 2nd Division's _Onmitsukido Corps_?"

Sasuke's eyes again widened in surprise.

Nobunaga smirked. "It is not like I knew from the beginning but I was certain that the Gotei Thirteen would send someone to keep tabs on me either through my ranks or even through Ieyasu's for that matter. It didn't take too long before my informants found out who this spy was and upon looking into your personal background and the time you entered, I thought the possibility of the spy's connection could very well have been between _'Uchiha Sasuke'_ and _'Akechi Mitsuhide'_. However, I did not believe that the _Onmitsukido_ would go to the extremes of turning the _Onimusha_ into Akechi Mitsuhide. Even though I shouldn't I feel honored that your captain thought so highly of me that she sent her third-seated officer himself to spy on me. It proves that she is not as incompetent as I once thought her to be."

Sasuke quickly got back up on his feet. "If you knew who I was, then why didn't you try to have me killed?"

The Lord of the Oda House shrugged. "What of it? Whether you continued to exist or not my plans would still have continued unimpeded. If anything, you provided a decent form of entertainment for me."

"I'll admit that I found it rather amusing that both _you_ and your captain thought you had managed to fool me. Besides, the flare that would flash in your eyes at times suggested that your mission was taken by something personal. Tell me… do you have a vendetta against me?"

In Sasuke's eyes, it wasn't just Nobunaga he was fighting but all the other corrupt nobles he knew about, the cowards who had created the dissent and fueled the chaos within the 2nd Division, the ones who were indirectly responsible for his blood brother's death. Yes, in his mind, Oda Nobunaga was simply an object to which he could release all of his frustration, rage and hatred for the nobility.

_What is vengeance going to accomplish?! Onii-chan is dead! He's dead! He's dead and nothing you do now is going to bring him back!_

No, he didn't need to hear Setsuka's voice shout those words in his mind now. If Nobunaga continued to do as he pleased, many more would end up like Yuusuke. That was the reason why he had decided to go ahead with the mission. That's why he—

'_Who are you trying to fool?_' another voice, a darker voice, whispered in the back of his mind. _'You know you only want the satisfaction of killing this pompous noble yourself. You only desire to quench your thirst for vengeance and Nobunaga is your way of doing it. That's why you took the mission, because you wanted to kill Nobunaga!_'

No… that wasn't true.

'_Don't lie to yourself, Uchiha Sasuke! You __**need **__to kill him or this pain that crevices your heart will never go away.'_

"So what if it is a vendetta?" Sasuke spat. "I don't care what your vision is! You're going to die here and now with your head rolling away from your lifeless corpse! That's all I need to see!"

"Truly?" Nobunaga inquired, as if curious by the _Onmitsukido_ agent's answer. "So then, Uchiha Sasuke, what would you do if I told you that my vision is to acquire total peace? Would you still desire to _'see my head roll away from my lifeless corpse'_ then?"

'_Peace is simply the complete absence of action, thought and desire to destroy another. Peace occurs when you're asleep, when you're at a standstill and when your consciousness containing your goals and ambitions is placed in a state of unconsciousness. Essentially, you could say peace is death…'_

Sasuke lowered his head for a moment, memories of the events at Enryaku-ji playing in his mind. "I've seen the _peace_ that you wish to bring. What kind of peace is that if you're only causing suffering, misery and death to everyone else?"

Sasuke's looked back up and glared at Nobunaga, his blazing Sharingan being seen as his bangs parted with burning rage and pain. "How many more people must die before this fucking peace of yours comes to fruition!? How many must be sacrificed before your vision comes into place?! ANSWER ME NOBUNAGA!"

Nobunaga shook his head. "You simply cannot understand, can you Uchiha Sasuke? Sacrifice is a natural part of life. It is the law of the world that none can escape."

"That's not tru – "

"NO!" Nobunaga's outburst took the Uchiha completely off guard. Sasuke had never seen nor heard of Nobunaga ever getting loud before with anyone, always staying in a calm and collected state. He could see the neutral façade of Nobunaga's brake with an intense glare that put the Uchiha on edge. "It is the cold… hard… truth. It is a truth that all Soul Reapers and souls, both living and passed, must come to realize and accept. I'm simply using such truth to my own advantage."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Sasuke snarled. Nobunaga turned his back on Sasuke, raising his hand in a grandiose manner, as if gesturing to the entirety that was Soul Society.

"In the Imperial Court Guards, one in every three Soul Reapers is born of the nobility. That Soul Reaper will at times be conflicted with the interests of his House and their alliances and the interests of the Gotei Thirteen. It is that conflict that has plagued Soul Society for thousands of years, causing it to slowly but surely decay. Souls brought to Soul Society come expecting a perfect utopia but they only come to face misery and sorrow that is possibly even worse than the living realm and it shows no signs of coming to an end anytime soon."

He turned back to Sasuke; the Uchiha's anger grew seeing the smug smirk on the man's face. "However, the plan that I have created shall put an end to it all and bring about true change. There is an unsettling weak bond of trust between Soul Reapers of the Gotei Thirteen and of the nobility. Conflicts of interests aside, the nobility have been known to use Soul Reapers for their own personal interests against one another to promote themselves and gain more prestige amongst their peers. The Soul Reapers of the Gotei Thirteen, in return, not only boosts their financial prospects but their personal status as well, which results in conflicting interests between the two groups that eventual ends in conflict. It is an unending cycle of death and backstabbing, regulated by the laws of both sides. If one side overstep their boundaries, the other will step in and vice-versa. In your eyes, as well as others, we are the evil, corrupt disease which infects Soul Society while the Soul Reapers are the antibodies of justice that brings down such infection."

Sasuke's knuckles grew pale white from how tightly he squeezed. He had never thought of things the way Nobunaga did and it angered him to no end that he actually found himself… agreeing with what the Demon King was saying.

Nobunaga took the Uchiha's silence as a sign for him to continue. "The first part of my plan was to weaken the bond of trust between the nobility and the Gotei Thirteen to a point where they will never reach an understanding of one another. When that occurs, it will not be long before the heads of Central Forty-Six, the power of the Gotei Thirteen, issues the segregation of suspect nobility, which the nobles will not allow to happen without a fight. All of these things shall occur and thus throwing the whole of Soul Society into civil war: those who side with the nobility and those who continue to loyally serve in the Gotei Thirteen. After all, one cannot serve both God and the devil at the same time."

Nobunaga sighed. "But I was naïve to think that it I could bring about my vision so soon. I knew that it would take centuries of time to create such events and even then it would be unsure if it could succeed. There are many ways to start a war but to stop a war is different. The quickest methods of doing so are to bring about the exhaustion of resources from both camps, the surrender of one camp to another and a third greater power to oversee it all. From the way things are now and the way things will continue, both sides shall never run out of resources and they shall never surrender to the other and thus I looked to different methods to bring about change and now I must resort to a third party to make my vision a reality. … "

And like that the last bit of the puzzle clicked into place. Sasuke's eyes widened in both fear and anxiousness as the answer dawned on him. "A third party…what the hell do you mean by that!?"

"Almost four centuries ago the calamity that was Lost Zero nearly brought about the end of Soul Society, bringing it upon the precipice of collapse as hundreds of thousands of souls were swallowed by its darkness. It is said that it was an accident, that it was forged by the mad experiments of Soul Reapers conducting illegal tests on Hollows but that is a lie. Lost Zero occurred because of the arrogance of the Soul Reapers who desired the end of Soul Society so that they could reign supreme as Gods. They could not predict that their madness would kill not only themselves, but the lives of countless souls in Soul Society. Because of the Soul Reapers inability to bring Lost Zero under control, there was only one option left remaining that could bring its terrible darkness to an end: Divine intervention by God himself."

"But that didn't happen," Sasuke pointed out. "Lost Zero was put under control and its darkness was stopped by the sacrifices of Soul Reapers who wished to right the wrongs of their comrades."

"Was it?" Nobunaga chuckled darkly before he pointed down to the dark platform beneath them. "The calamity that is Lost Zero is being held at bay by the Four Black Purgatory Gates, which were built by the Four Noble Houses of Soul Society after it was brought under control by the Three Gallant Soul Reapers, who sacrificed themselves to see it sealed. However, what they sealed behind the gates are the collective wills of all the souls which were swallowed by the darkness that is Lost Zero… and tell me what happens when a soul that is killed but doesn't die continues to suffer such agonizing pain over and over again for centuries, unable to comprehend why they have to go through such torment while other souls lives without the torture outside these walls?"

He brought up his hand and slowly began to curl it into a fist. "Envy: one of the seven deadly sins. They grow to become envious of the souls that live peacefully outside their walled prison of torture and unending pain, and eventually that envy turns to anger, rage and then undying hatred. This collective hatred has many desires but the strongest of those desires, the greatest amongst them all, is the desire to see this world _burn._"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sasuke shouted in defiance to Nobunaga's claim. "You can't expect me to believe that!"

"You must be wondering what is this black matter that has completely surrounded the Court of Pure Souls? It is made from the same _reishi_ that makes up this tower we are standing on, or to be more precise, the defense mechanism instilled by one of the four Black Purgatory Gates. "

"One of the four?" Sasuke repeated questioningly.

Nobunaga released yet another dark chuckle. "It should have dawned on you by now. After all, I did not instigate the corruption within 2nd Division for naught."

It was there and then that the obscure pieces of Nobunaga's plan came into clarity. "The Shihouin Gate! But why would you... It can't be that..."

"For the gap to widen, it must come from a source." Nobunaga said with all knowing smirk. "You see, for my plan to finally bear fruit, the Shihouin Gate must be brought down. As such I needed to instill suspicion of corruption within the 2nd Division, whose HQ is the very estate where the gate is located and with its twenty-second head, the only one who had the means to stop me, gone to who knows where I made my move. I bribed and embedded multiple Soul Reapers in the 2nd Division to my pocket and planted the seeds of dissent. From that dissent I would have clear access to the Shihouin Gate and weaken it to the point where the barrier surrounding Lost Zero itself would finally weaken and bring about the divine intervention of God."

Sasuke could only break in a single cold sweat at the revelation of the demon king's plan. However, there was still one piece of information… a piece to the puzzle that didn't quite fit. "Then this... divine intervention of God... how did you plan to bring it about?!"

Nobunaga brought out his right arm in front of him and opened his palm. Sasuke felt a powerful spike of _reiatsu_ surge from the noble's form as a dark violet aura began to from around him. Suddenly violet _reishi_ particles began to rise from the black platform and began to gather in his palm. A shockwave shot forth from Nobunaga's person, sending an arc of dark wind into the Uchiha's direction who covered his eyes using his arms. Sasuke's crimson glare never fell off Nobunaga for an instant.

'_This spiritual pressure… it's unreal! There is so much… hatred coming from it…'_

"Lost Zero," Nobunaga spoke. "…is an embodiment of the collective wills of souls that wish to see this plane of existence collapse, an embodiment of _my_ will. Because its hatred, its desires, is the same as my own, I can call upon its power and bend it to my will. I can do this because the desires of the collective souls of Lost Zero are also _my_ desires as well."

The _reishi _became potent violet_ reiryoku, _which then took shape in Nobunaga's hand into something akin to a straight longsword. Soon, the violet reiryoku began to fade and what was left in its wake was a blade unlike any Sasuke had ever seen. The blade's center was mostly violet with its sharp edges being in gold-colored steel. The hilt, as was the entire blade, was so foreign in design that the Uchiha could only relate it to something he had seen in a book he read once about the swords used by Medieval Europe.

However, what made the Uchiha form a cold beads of sweat on his brow was the malevolence that he felt come from the sword. His Sharingan could see the aura which surrounded the blade and Nobunaga as well, but Sasuke could feel the hate which emanated from the blade itself.

Nobunaga's eyes began to glow dark violet as his shihakusho changed, being replaced by a dark armor with a black feather collar and violet cape with gold trimming; he brought the blade close to his chest. "Behold… the physical manifestation of the malevolence of all the souls taken by Lost Zero, the sword born of the collective desire to bring an end to this plane of existence…"

"Behold… _**Dai-Rokuten**_."

Sasuke's eyes studied the blade with great interest. "_Dai-Rokuten_? But that's…"

"A zanpakutou?" Nobunaga finished for the Uchiha before nodding. "Yes I suppose you can say that this blade is, in essence, Lost Zero's zanpakutou spirit but that would not be doing _Dai-Rokuten_ justice. It is more than just a zanpakutou, but rather the key to my Final Solution."

Nobunaga raised the sword up towards Sasuke, a dark pulse being released from the zanpakutou that held the concentrated spiritual black energy. Sasuke quickly drew his zanpakutou and covered it with a Chidori before raising it above his head and bringing it down on the circular pulse of violet _reiatsu_… and struggled to hold his own against it!

'_This power… this malevolence… its unreal! I can't cut through it!'_

Thinking fast, Sasuke got sure footing and concentrated all the _reiryoku _he could muster to deflect the pulse off of his blade and into the air to his side. He breathed heavily as he watched the dark violet ring fly across the black platform and off the tower completely before it exploded in a ball of violent _reiryoku_.

"Amazing, isn't it?" The Demon King asked Sasuke. "How much power the collective desires of countless souls have? And I've only just scratched the surface."

He raised the blade in the air, a large ball of violet _reiryoku_ gathering at the tip of the zanpakutou, growing in size with each passing moment until it was at least a meter in diameter and circumference.

"Now then…" Nobunaga turned his body slowly around and aimed _Dai-Rokuten_ in the direction of what was ahead of Lost Zero. "You shall bear witness to the final stages of my plan…"

Sasuke's legs had already begun to run before his mind had actually commanded it. He was running straight for the Demon King, each step carrying him faster than the last but he felt weighted, like he was being slowed down by an unknown force.

It was then that he realized he wouldn't make it in time.

"Watch and bear witness… to the commencement of Judgment Day!"

Sasuke could only watch in despair as Nobunaga curved his blade back and then threw his arm out in a wave, sending the spherical harbinger of destruction into the skies toward Seireitei.

* * *

**Sereitei, Great West Gate **

"Requiem Cannon at 68% capacity and climbing."

"How long until the cannon is fully charged?" Byakuya asked the kido corps member.

"By my estimate at least another half an hour, Captain Kuchiki." He replied.

"Don't mean to sound like a buzz-kill but if it wasn't working before, then I believe its safe to assume it won't work a second time." Captain Gin Ichimaru of the 3rd Division stated aloud to the others present. "Besides isn't it curious how everything has been so hush hush as to why we're all at the West Gate? Wouldn't it make much more sense to be posted at the other gates and split our forces more effectively?"

"Although a wise suggestion, it was the congregation of Captain Kuchiki and Captain Soifon's _Onmitsukido_ that has led us all here in the first place." Captain Aizen Sousuke of the 5th Division said, putting a reassuring hand on his adjutant. "Perhaps they'd be more than willing to share why they were gathered at the western gate coincidentally at the same time that this incident occurred?"

Byakuya turned away from the KidōCorps sergeant to Captain Aizen before turning to Captain Soifon. It was obvious neither of them wanted to speak of their planned operation aloud.

"Hey look in the sky!" A Soul Reaper standing near the captain shouted out, pointing in the general direction of Lost Zero.

Before one of the captains could retort, they all looked to where the man was pointing, their eyes widening in horror as they saw a large ball of condensed _reiryoku_ fly off the top of the black citadel in Lost Zero in close proximity to the West Gate.

"What in God's name is that?"

"It came from atop Lost Zero."

"Yeah but that doesn't explain what the hell it is."

The ball of dark _reiryoku_ suddenly grew in size before shrinking to a tiny ball just seconds later. There was a flash that followed and suddenly the ball imploded, twisting into a massively wide pillar that tore through the skies and the hit the city in the Third West Rukon District. The ground rocked violently, on the scale of a dramatically powerful earthquake with a range that extended even to Seireitei.

"Everyone hold on!"

"Grab onto something!"

"Oh my God!"

Once the pillar of dark _reiatsu_ began to dissipate did the massive tremors begin to die down some.

"The hell was that?" Ikkaku of the 11th Division yelled out.

"An earthquake of beautiful proportions." His comrade Ayasegawa Yumichika answered in a dramatic poise.

Ikkaku gave his comrade a death glare. "Obviously."

"That was over the Third West Rukon District…" Abarai Renji said aloud, earning a look from most the Soul Reapers nearby him. Both Byakuya and Soifon looked to one another and nodded before Byakuya turned to the Soul Reapers under his command.

"Let's go!"

Byakuya then made his way for the area struck by the violet pillar, Renji and his men following right behind him.

Zaraki Kenpachi licked his lips from the excitement he felt . "Heh heh heh… maybe there's something interesting after all."

"Yeah! Go Ken-chan!" Kusajishi Yachiru, a little girl with the appearance of a preschooler, said.

Once they arrived at the gate, what Byakuya and the others saw brought horror within their souls. There was a large hole in the ground, in the area that the city in District Three once stood proudly. The hole was gigantic in size, and was swallowing up houses and other buildings that had remained untouched by the strike. Hundreds upon hundreds of souls screams could be heard as they were swallowed whole by the massive hole of death and despair from the mudslides and falling building.

This was the power of Lost Zero.

* * *

Sasuke could only stare in horror as he saw the plumes of smoke rising from the city. Even from far atop Lost Zero, he could make out a crater near the edge of the district close to the West Gate.

"Hmm... looks like I'll need more power. I cannot have the Gotei Thirteen walk in with the expectation that everything will be alright." Nobunaga mused. "After all, once I bring the Shihouin Gate down and the dust finally settles, my allies shall make their move and war shall erupt over Lost Zero and its use as an ultimate weapon. With both sides wiping each other left and right, a force even more omnipotent than that of Sereitei will finally descend from the heavens and bring forth divine judgment."

Sasuke felt nauseous. The malaise came from where he was standing, the words of Nobunaga and the act he had just committed. "So that's it then? This is your grand design for peace. Your answer _is_ mass-murder! You're hoping that the Soul King, that God, will come down on Soul Society and commence Judgment Day, is that it?"

Nobunaga turned to the Uchiha and blinked in indifference. "You are only partially correct. Whether the Soul King decides to come down or not, Central Forty-Six shall definitely take matters into their own hands and they will have to make a choice, a choice between the nobility and the Soul Reapers as a whole. The results of that choice: the end of the current system and the total revolution of change within Soul Society."

'_You here that?!'_ the dark voice in his head spoke again. _'He plans to cause a war and have the nobility take power in their hands! Are you just going to allow that to happen?'_

"I see now..."

Sasuke's _reiatsu_ spiked intensely, his blood boiling with rage. Nobunaga watched with mild interest as the sclera in his eyes filled with black and his eyes briefly changed to yellow before returning to the crimson, tomoe-ridden eyes of the Sharingan. "...You're planning to abolish the Gotei Thirteen so that the nobility can take full charge of it, with you at the head of it all!"

His _reiatsu_ spiked once again; a dark violet aura began to surround him. "I knew it... the nobility are just greedy bastards who abuse their power to walk on those of lesser birth!"

Power detonated from his body, pushing back the Demon King.

"I HATE ALL OF YOU!" Sasuke roared from the depth of his tormented soul.

Sasuke unconsciously allowed the dark _reiatsu_ to flow into his zanpakutou, twisting and crackling into dark electrical currents before he lunged at Nobunaga, fully intent on cleaving the man into nothing but bits and pieces.

The Lord of the Oda brought _Dai-Rokuten _up before him and smirked. "Feel the Demon King's embrace."

The_ Dai-Rokuten_ pulsed once with _reiatsu_ before Nobunaga swung wide, unleashing a powerfully potent arc of _reiryoku_ at the Uchiha which howled with the screams of hundreds of souls, the feelings of hatred and despair could be felt by the Uchiha as it made its way across the platform toward him. Sasuke did not attempt to deflect the attack, but rather spun beneath it, watching as it passed over and avoided him by a hair's length before glaring at Nobunaga.

"You're mine!" Sasuke declared as he came within swords length of Nobunaga and performed a vertical uppercut with his blade. Nobunaga barely reacted in time, taking a large step back to avoid being struck by the enraged Uchiha's Chidori-covered blade before bring the _Dai-Rokuten_ up to block another powerful slash from the Uchiha.

Sasuke's Sharingan blazed with a burning crimson glow of hate, his eyes watching and predicting every parry and counterstrike the noble made. Even with the power of the _Dai-Rokuten_ in his hands, it was evident that Nobunaga only had average skill with a blade, at least on par with a sixth seated officer in the Gotei Thirteen. Arrogance and sheer confidence began to swell within the Uchiha, who believed that he would have Nobunaga's head rolling off the Black Citadel in no time at all.

Parrying a vertical cleave from the noble, Sasuke went for a reverse grip with his right hand and swung for his opponent's head, who narrowly managed to bring his zanpakutou up in time to catch his blade in time from decapitating him, locking their swords in a heated battle for supremacy. Using sheer strength, Nobunaga broke the deadlock and swung upwards, forcing Sasuke's zanpakutou out of his grip and spinning high over their heads before going in for a decapitation slash of his own. The Uchiha's Sharingan predicted the movement and Sasuke twisted underneath the _Dai-Rokuten_. He expertly caught his _Asauchi_ in a reverse grip again and, seeing an opening in the Demon King's guard, channeled his lightning reiryoku into the blade and countered with a horizontal slash.

The Demon King leaped over the blade and landed behind Sasuke. The Uchiha smirked; he twisted around on his heel, channeling his _reiatsu_ into his left hand and forming a powerfully potent dark Chidori, going in for a sharp jab aimed directly for the Demon King's back. Nobunaga turned his head and quickly brought his right hand up in the Chidori's path. Instantly, Sasuke felt an invisible force push him in mid-air away from the Demon King yet again. He flipped around and struck his zanpakutou into the ground, cutting through the black platform beneath him as he came to a halt.

'_How is he doing that?' _Sasuke pondered before flash-stepping out of the way of another arc of _reiryoku_ born from the _Dai-Rokuten's_ swing. _'Is he using some kind of Bakudō? No he can't be… my Sharingan can't __**see**__ through it at all!' _Sasuke mentally recounted the list of Bakudō that he had mastered/copied while in the Academy and in the 2nd Division and none came close to what Nobunaga had just used to ward him away. He held back an angry snarl, flash-stepping out of the way of another shot of dark reiryoku again. He didn't have time to be playing guessing games.

Sasuke reappeared and he quickly sheathed his _Asauchi _and brought up both of his hands, gathering his reiryoku. "_Hadō # 4: Pale Lightning!_"

He shot off a powerful blast of concentrated _reiryoku_ that was covered in silver-hued electrical currents directly at Nobunaga. The Demon King brought up his hand in the path of the offensive Kido spell and… deflected it away to the side harmlessly. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"How is that…"

Nobunaga smirked arrogantly. "Do you still not understand, _Onimusha_? Here in the Black Citadel, in the center of Lost Zero, I reign supreme. I can reject anything made of your _reiatsu _that you send my way so long as I have _Dai-Rokuten_ within my grasp."

"That's not possible!" Sasuke shouted.

"But it is," Nobunaga re-affirmed, bringing _Dai-Rokuten_ over his head, the zanpakutou pulsing with _reiatsu._ "Because here in Lost Zero, my will is that of the collective will of thousands of souls who desire one thing: the end of this corrupt and unfair Soul Society. The will of one whose only desire is to achieve his personal vendetta cannot overcome the wills of thousands who desire something that is far greater than any vengeance."

And like that, upon hearing Nobunaga's words, Sasuke's own arrogance and confidence from his previous predictions of a quick end to Nobunaga fell considerably. He wanted to shout again but before he could he felt a wave of nausea suddenly overcome him. His body started to feel weak and his hands trembled.

'_What's… happening to me…'_

"It appears that Lost Zero is finally beginning to take its toll on you," Nobunaga said rather quietly, but still loud enough for Sasuke to hear. "I was wondering when the effects of this place would begin to kick in on you."

Sasuke looked back up at the Demon King and glared. "What… do you mean?"

Nobunaga smirked. "Lost Zero is a place filled with negative _reiatsu,_ but more importantly is the collective of _reiatsu_ born of the negative emotions and thoughts of all the souls taken by it. One whose soul lives outside of Lost Zero simply cannot walk onto these grounds and expect to not pay a toll. Slowly your _reiatsu_ will begin to be drained, and the more you use it in your fighting style and attacks, that much more shall be drained out of you until you are nothing but an empty shell."

"No…" Sasuke said in defiance to Nobunaga's words. The Demon King's _reiatsu _exploded, sending a shockwave of dark wind all across the platform which the stood their ground.

"You lost this battle the moment you chose to step onto these hallow grounds, Uchiha Sasuke."

"NO!"

Summoning his _reiatsu_ once more, Sasuke brought his hands together and quickly created hand-signs. He took in a deep breath and gathered his _reiryoku_ within his lungs.

_Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!_

Opening his mouth, Sasuke blew out a large and powerful stream of fire that took the shape of a mighty dragon head, flying across the distance towards Nobunaga. His smirk growing at the sight of the dragon fire, the noble brought _Dai-Rokuten_ in front of him and gathered his _reiatsu_ at the tip of the zanpakutou before releasing another dark pulse. The reiryoku collided with Sasuke's jutsu, the results being that the dark pulse tore through the flames and caused the ball to tear apart. Nobunaga watched the dark pulse continue unimpeded and strike a fear-ridden Sasuke…

…Before the attack simply passed through him and the Uchiha vanished into darkness. Nobunaga's eyes widened in disbelief; he'd seen that technique before when Hanzo had released his shikai and revealed it to both him and Ieyasu. "What?"

"If my _reiatsu_ cannot touch you…"

Nobunaga heard the Uchiha 's voice and looked down, only to see Sasuke suddenly appear, crouched below him, for a split second before receiving a sharp, powerful kick to his chin, the force of the impact sending him flying in the air.

Sasuke's Sharingan gave off a brilliant glow. "Then I suppose regular Hakuda is my next best option!"

The Uchiha leapt into the air after the Demon King, floating behind him and delivering a powerful kick into the noble's left side. Using the force of the kick, the Uchiha spun in mid-air above his opponent to deliver a strong backhand into the noble's face and then using the momentum of his last strike to spin and perform a devastating axe kick into the lower halt of Nobunaga's breastplate, creating a gapping hole in the _reishi_ metal.

"_Lion's Barrage!_" The Uchiha exclaimed, sending Nobunaga hurling hard into the black platform, leaving a small crater in his wake.

Sasuke landed on his feet beside Nobunaga and gave the man a hate-filled glare. "You…" He withdrew his zanpakutou from his scabbard and plunged it in a non-vital area in the noble's right shoulder, piercing the armor and earning a pain hiss from the madman.

"All of… all of these innocent sacrifices just so that you and the corrupt nobility can enjoy your twisted sense of peace? My comrades… died because of your twisted notion of acquiring peace!" Sasuke slammed his knee into Nobunaga's abdomen, lowering himself and forcing his weight on him to get the pained reaction he so desperately craved from the madman. He grabbed a handful of the man's hair and forced his head up so he could look directly into the man's eyes, his _Asauchi _still embedded in the Demon King's right shoulder, keeping him from making any move with his dark zanpakutou. "My blood brother DIED and you thought you were going to get away with it?! How did you think it that this was going to end Nobunaga? Huh?!"

Nobunaga stared into Sasuke's hate-filled crimson gaze and only the pain he felt from the _Asauchi_ embedded in his shoulder was the only thing visible in his eyes… and that only infuriated the Uchiha further.

The noble swallowed down what were likely the contents of his stomach before opening his mouth to speak. "You are wrong… it isn't the Gotei Thirteen whom I wish to be disbanded."

"What?" Sasuke asked in heavy breaths, trying his best to keep the negative effects of Lost Zero from weakening him further.

Nobunaga closed his eyes, his face forming a solemn expression that surprised the Uchiha some.

"You're not the only one who has lost those closest to you to the corrupt disease that is the nobility. I was born and lived in a house which served another, whose only interest was to see those beneath them squirm in their grip, using Soul Reapers under their employ to do just that. Day after day, I watched as those nobles continued to use Soul Reapers as tools of war, only to perpetuate their uncanny desires and lofty dreams and ambitions, ignorant of the consequences bred from their actions. Soul Reapers are the balancers of souls and it is because of their pristine mission that, even if the divisions are solitary at mind, they are united as one in both mind and soul. But the nobility continue to spit on this notion, using them as they please, unaware of the seeds of hatred and despair that they sowed."

Sasuke saw Nobunaga's hand clench around the hilt of the _Dai-Rokuten_. "My father… was a Soul Reaper, a seated officer in the Gotei Thirteen's 11th Division. However, he was forced to bend to the whims of those noble rats our house once served because they held my mother, myself, my brothers and my sister hostage. He did things to those without the power to defend themselves because of us… because we were his only weakness."

"Finally, there came a time when my father finally refused to acknowledge an order from the house that kept us hostage. Angered by his defiance, the head of the house took my mother and violently raped her in front of my siblings… and myself. When he and his cohorts were finally done with my mother, they slit her throat and watched as both the blood and their seed spilled from her throat, watching for our reaction to the atrocity which they wrought. My little brother lost himself and charged at them without any kind of weapon… and they cleaved his head off for being a _'disobedient brat of a whore'_. I remember the look in my sister Oichi's eyes as she watched the atrocities that they committed in front of us, and the hate that she held for them… and for I, because I stood there and did _nothing_."

Sasuke could not understand it. What was it with the words that Nobunaga uttered that it shook him to the point where his _reiatsu_ began to flake low and high? "Why are you telling me this?!"

Nobunaga took advantage of the loosened grip over his neck and struck out at the Uchiha with a headbutt to the face. Sasuke reared himself back, pulling his zanpakutou with him and releasing the Demon King from the ground. Nobunaga then brought up his hand and summoned his reiatsu within his palm and shot it off into the Uchiha's gut, blasting him away. Clutching his shoulder, Nobunaga slowly got back up to his feet and continued with his tale with even more vigor and even _anger_ in his tone than before.

"I was a coward. I hated those nobles. I hated my father. So when my father took his own life after hearing the news of my mother's rape and murder and the murder of my little brother, I took control of my house, with the men and Soul Reapers who served the Oda. I swore to bring down holy vengeance on the nobility for what they put my sister and me through. As such, when the time came to do so I annihilated the house which we served during one of their family gatherings. I exterminated each and every one of them and had their heads pilled atop one another so I could piss on the ones who raped my mother and then left them to rot."

"However, I realized that I was only one of many who had to go through what my house did. I knew that regardless of their deaths, the rest of the nobility would still continue to operate as they pleased and continue to use Soul Reapers as tools to breed more tragedy, destruction and death. I knew this and so I decided to bring about change, thus the birth of my vision to see this corrupt and unfair Soul Society come to an end."

"Tragedy breeds drastic action. When God sees the destruction created by Lost Zero's power, even _He_ will decide to take action but _He_ will need to find who started the entire affair. This is where I shall enter. I will offer myself as the perfect sacrificial lamb, using my lineage and my criminal activities as a link to all the other noble families who are responsible for the corruption between the nobility and Soul Society. When this is done, in the name of keeping the peace and the world's justice at all costs, God shall rain divine judgment to the nobility and they shall cease to exist… but that is not all. The very notion of losing their status will drive the nobles into a greater state of conflict. However, I will be the one to share the secrets of Lost Zero with the Soul Reapers who have ties only with the Gotei Thirteen and in turn, will use it to annihilate any resistance should God's wrath not come down on them. The terror created by that act, the terror of knowing that the Soul Reapers can bring divine retribution at any moment, will put any dissenters into check and thus bring about true peace."

"NO!" Sasuke screamed his disbelief, charging another Chidori into his hand and lunging for Nobunaga, only to be hurled across the air by Nobunaga's invisible push. He landed with a thud onto the black platform and slowly tried to regain his composure. His breathing was getting deeper as the negative effects of Lost Zero continued to put pressure on him.

"You're… lying. You're lying!" Sasuke repeated trying to reassure himself. It was his hatred for the nobility that fueled his rage, his power. It was his hatred of for the nobility that allowed him to encase his heart within a stone wall. To Sasuke, Nobunaga represented everything he hated and it was his drive to see this man dead that kept him going. It couldn't be true. It just could not be true. "You're just trying to goad me by believing your lie of a past! You're– "

"Fool you into what, Uchiha Sasuke? Even if it was a lie, even if I had no intention of aiding the Gotei Thirteen, the outcome would still remain the same. I'm only choosing to side with the camp that adheres to the principles of peace and order rather than the value of their own lives." Nobunaga said before letting out a small chuckle. "A funny thing, isn't it? Soul Reapers are ready to execute anyone at the ready who dares overthrow their creed. The nobility, on the other hand, would expend anyone just so that they could save their own skins."

Sasuke watched as Nobunaga brought up his free hand and gather his _reiatsu_ into it, turning it into a potent dark ball of _reiryoku_. "You seem disappointed, Sasuke. It cannot be helped. You are a petulant child at best. I know your type. Even if you were to end my life, it would definitely not stop with me. You'd continue on your endless path of revenge, driven to kill all who represent the nobility, including those to whom you may have ties to. The difference, the only difference between us, is that I have the foresight to see my goal in mind but you... what would you have accomplished with your meaningless vendetta?"

Sasuke backed away, mind wracked even further with the demon king's word and again—

_What is vengeance going to accomplish?! Onii-chan is dead! He's dead! He's dead and nothing you do now will bring him back!_

_That… was cruel. I did not believe the rumors which circulated around you, that you were capable of such cruelty. But it appears that they held some truth to them after all._

—Setsuka and Rukia's words imploded the doubt within him.

"S-Stop it!"

"You're in pain. You're tormented with the notion that your blood brother died in vain. You're angry that his dreams were destroyed by other, more selfish ones."

"Stop it!"

"I pity for you. While you're here, determined to walk on your endless path of an avenger, your blood brother has most likely been reincarnated as an innocent child in the human realm. He will grow and experience happiness and sorrow but alas he shall never remember you."

"Stop it!"

"Nevertheless, if he was still alive, I'd like to think that he would be ashamed of what you have become, of how narrow-minded your thinking has turned, at how worthless your quest for vengeance truly is."

"STOP IT!"

Hatred had been replaced with sheer despair. Subconsciously, the once, white-lighted Chidori corroded into a savage dark color which he channeled into his zanpakutou and at the wounded Nobunaga.

Nobunaga threw the condensed ball of reiryoku he had gathered in his hand at the Uchiha, who slammed his blade into the reiryoku, rage blinding him to the thought he could not cut through it.

He heard a crack and Sasuke looked at his zanpakutou, which had four long cracks along the middle of the blade. He knocked the ball away, his zanpakutou braking apart from the strain of going against the reiryoku of thousands of souls. The Uchiha flew back and watched as the ball moved toward the west Rukon District once again, where it once again imploded into a pillar of dark reiryoku. He stared helplessly as it descended upon the third district, destroying yet another great portion of it.

However, what made the Uchiha gasp in horror and shock was that the area where the pillar had descended upon was the small city of Genbu, which was in the relative vicinity of where the Souma family estate was located…

…The very place where Shiori Setsuka resided.

"No..." Sasuke whispered almost deathly quiet, losing his grip on his broken zanpakutou as he fell to his knees. He was in a state of shock and disbelief, refusing to believe that Setsuka had most likely lost her life in the resulting destruction.

Nobunaga looked to the area struck by his attack and then looked to the downtrodden Sasuke, realizing the significance of the area struck had to the Uchiha, and let out a chuckle.

"You have nothing to fight for now…. No, you never had anything to fight for in the first place. You were lost before, but now you shall never find your way back." Nobunaga said, before conjuring more of his reiatsu into _Dai-Rokuten_.

"It's over Uchiha Sasuke… you have lost."

'_Essentially, you could say peace is death…'_

Sasuke felt like his mind was breaking apart. Bonds lost, identity lost, dreams lost. He slumped to his knees, unable to even hold his sword properly. Perhaps Nobunaga was right. Perhaps this was the only way to achieve peace. Lady Noh's words only seemed to reaffirm this.

Lightning danced in the skies and struck center areas of Soul Society. The thunder roared loudly and Nobunaga looked up at the skies with keen interest. "It appears that the time has come…"

He looked back at Uchiha, who was clearly giving way to the effects of Lost Zero after witnessing the destruction of Genbu. "That's right... you remain there and let me end your pain. Soon the nobility will be finished. Soon the corrupt Soul Reapers Gotei Thirteen will be finished. Everyone's narrow-mindedness will be at an end. No more will the conflicting desires and ideals spill the blood of the unfortunate souls. Only a unified order with but a single desire shall remain after God brings about his judgment upon us all."

Sasuke did not bother to glance up at the massive, apocalyptic power that stayed in the hands of Nobunaga. He didn't care anymore. Everything would end: his pain, his sorrow, and his severed bonds.

_Oh wow, that's the most stupidest thing I ever heard. Someone get me a medic 'cause I'mma die of heart attack._

_"Bakusuke…"_

_I'm gonna prove to everyone that I am a capable soul reaper, just like anyone else._

_"Zennosuke…"_

_"…**ke…"**_

_All I wanted you to know, was that the person you hold dear to your heart, even in death, would have never wanted this for you._

_"Rukia…"_

_"**...suke…"**_

___Don't worry Sasuke, you'll get your memories one day._

"_…__Yuusuke"_

He looked one last time at his right hand before closing his eyes. Before he allowed the corruption of Lost Zero get past his mental defenses, before he allowed his fatigue and his broken will to finally be swallowed, a voice whispered in his mind.

_**"Sasuke…"**_

* * *

_Sasuke's eyes opened upon hearing the familiar voice before widening as he took in the sight which now surrounded him. He was back in the opal white ethereal landscape of his mind, but it was different. Gone were the white clouds in the skies above, now replaced by dark storm clouds which clapped with the roar of thunder. It no longer was the clam, serene atmosphere with which he felt absolute comfort in. Now the atmosphere was filled with feeling that the Uchiha knew all too well: sadness, sorrow, anger and… pain. _

"_I've heard that voice before…"_

_Sasuke slowly stood up, searching in all directions for the pristine white beast who owned that voice. It was then that he heard the voice call out his name._

"_**Sasuke…"**_

"_Where are you?" _

_The loud roar of thunder overhead made Sasuke look into the dark clouded skies above. He searched, seeing lighting dance in the clouds until his eyes finally found the white dragon-horse beast once again; its head and upper body could be seen between a crevice between the clouds, its body covered by electrical currents which crackled and danced all around it. It was looking down on him and even with the large gap of distance between the two Sasuke knew that the beast was saddened. _

"_**Sasuke…"**_

_He heard it call his name once more. The Uchiha lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind his bangs. _

"_Are you here to help me again? Well don't…I don't want to be saved." _

_The lightning crackled around the beast, the thunderclap growing louder than before relating to the spike of anger which the beast felt. _

"_**Why will you not fight?" **_

_"What do you mean 'fight'?" Sasuke spat bitterly. "There's nothing left for me to fight for…my vengeance, my purpose for living, it…" _

_'What is vengeance going to accomplish?! Onii-chan is dead! He's dead! He's dead and nothing you do now will bring him back!'_

_Sasuke's hand curled into a tight fist as Setsuka's words echoed loudly in the barren white landscape. "It has no meaning now." _

'_You have nothing to fight for now. You never did in the first place. You were lost before, but now you shall never find your way back.'_

_"She's right… Nobunaga is right…vengeance will not bring him back. It will not mend my pain…"_

_The white landscape began to corrode into black ash. Slowly everything around him began to be swallowed by the blackness, slowly but surely making its way toward Sasuke. It was as if Sasuke's will was finally surrendering to the negative effects of Lost Zero's reiatsu and the Uchiha did nothing to stop it. _

_"There is no point… in fighting anymore. I…have nothing left." _

_His world was slowly fading to black._

"_**You're right." **_

_Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He looked up to the white beast in the skies; a wet drop of liquid fell on the Uchiha's cheek. He brought his hand up to where the tear had landed and touched it curiously before looking at his hand. _

_It was then he realized that it had been a tear. _

_He looked back up to the beast and realized that it was shedding sad and pain-filled tears from its silvery orbs. The beast was crying…_

_It was crying…for him? _

"_**If you would allow your will to be broken by this Oda Nobunaga, if you would allow your eyes to become blind to what is truly around you, then why should I continue to hope?"**_

_The thunder stopped; another tear fell from the beast's eyes as more of the landscape was swallowed and turned to black ash._

"_**What should I continue to hope for the return of Uchiha Sasuke when the one before me is anything but worthy to wield my power?" **_

_There is was. The tone in which the beast addressed Sasuke was something he had heard before. It was as if it was speaking of two different Sasukes, of a Sasuke that was entirely different from whom he was, a Sasuke who he had forgotten to be._

_And that angered the Uchiha. _

"_I am!" Sasuke shouted. "I am worthy… or at least… I might have been. But now…" _

_Now he wasn't certain. _

"_**Oda Nobunaga believed that by breaking your will and snuffing out your desire for vengeance that he could end you! And yet, by doing just that, he had done you a great favor." **_

"_What?" _

"_**He had allowed for you a chance, one chance to open your eyes to the power which you've buried, hidden in the very depths of your soul. You awakened it once before… now do so again." **_

"_But how?!" Sasuke cried. "How do I do that?!" _

_The beast allowed one last tear to be shed, but once it landed in the Uchiha's hands if did not splash as any other liquid would. In his hands was a red stone, which looked similar to the ones that he had seen before… yet there was something eerily familiar about the red gem that gave off a nostalgic feeling within Sasuke._

"_What is this?" _

"_**This is the strength that you had awakened once before." **_

"_But it's so… small." _

"_**It is small because you closed yourself off from it the day that Shiori Yuusuke died. You allowed your rage and anger to grant you power rather than this and it as such, it has become what it is now." **_

_Sasuke looked back up at the beast in the clouds, disbelief etched onto his face._

"_You honestly expect me to believe that this is it? The power that I need in order to stop him?" _

_The beast began to fall back into the clouds, much to Sasuke's dismay. _

"_**You relied on that power once before, the power which your bonds granted you. You awakened it two years ago and if you can do so again, if you can awaken this power before this world fades into black, and then you shall gain a power unlike any other…" **_

_The clouds closed. _

"_**You shall finally remember my name." **_

_It was then that Sasuke took notice of the great blackness which was slowly swallowing the landscape and surrounding him. He looked to the ground and realized that there was not much white ground left to stand upon. _

_He looked at the red gem in his palm and scowled. _'What the hell am I supposed to do with this? What power could I possibly have hidden in my soul that I refused to call on it again when I needed it most?'

_He thought back to a time before he became an avenger, before Yuusuke had died. He remembered his time as an employee of Urahara's shop, conversations with Kuchiki Rukia, his time with the ANBU Corps, coming to Soul Society and meeting Yuusuke, Bakusuke, and Zennosuke. Each of those memories had great significance to the Uchiha in one way or another and had helped nurture his growth not just as a Soul Reaper, but as a soul who had no place to call his own._

_Those memories were memories he had made with those individuals to fill the void in his heart, people who he could call friends that brought him out of the darkness of loneliness before. _

'_I… remember this feeling…' _

_The blackness was only a few yards away from him. _

_He focused on the feeling, that feeling warmth. He told himself to remember that strength he once called his own, the strength eh realized he had when he faced Kuchiki Rukia before._

_He felt the gem pulse in his hand. _

_He heard the white beast's voice again._

"_**Stopping fearing it, stop believing it to be a weakness and call upon it once more."**_

_He closed both his eyes and his hand with the gem and tightened his grip around its smooth surface. The instant he did so, he felt the warmth spread across his body, a pool of strength he had before rushing through his body once more._

_Before the blackness could swallow him, the red gem shone with a crimson red light, giving off warmth unlike any the Uchiha had felt before. It pushed the blackness back and halted its advance within the landscape as the black ash returned to its opal white form once again. _

_For the first time, Sasuke realized what this power was, what the red gem represented. _

_He opened his eyes and looked in both surprise and disbelief at what he saw. Standing all around him were people he had met in both the living realm and Soul Society, souls which had connected to his and gave him a form of comfort which he could only define as their friendship. He saw Urahara, Tessai, Ururu, Jinta. He saw the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Rosetta and Redomaru from ANBU. He saw Yuusuke, Bakusuke, Zennosuke and others form the 2__nd__ Division. _

_He saw Captain Soifon and Kuchiki Rukia. _

_He saw…those three individuals he had never seen before. Standing with the group in front of him was a blonde, a pink rosette and a silver-haired man whose face was almost entirely covered save for his right eye. They each wore different clothing but had the same forehead protectors on… which for some reason made the Uchiha feel sentimental. _

_They were smiling at him…well he didn't know if you could count a eye closed upside as a smile but he took it as one._

"…_I'm not alone." _

_Soon the clouds in the skies became white once again and the blackness quickly began to recede from the landscape. The clouds parted and the dragon-horse appeared before Sasuke, standing over the individuals which surrounded Sasuke and kept the blackness from consuming him. _

"_**No… you are not. You have never been alone. They are the representation of all the bonds that you have forged, Sasuke, the bonds which give you strength. Your rage and pain have made you blind to what was in front of you all this time." **_

_The Uchiha closed his eyes, contemplating what the beast was saying. Even though he wanted to deny the existence of these bonds he knew that deep down it was right. He had become so hellbent on taking vengeance for Yuusuke's death that he had isolated himself to the point where he had become blind to the bonds he had forged with other souls, bonds which gave him strength. He had not felt the power of these bonds for a long time, not since he had fought Rukia in the Living Realm three years ago. _

_He had nearly forgotten what this strength had felt like._

_Slowly he opened his eyes, and his eyes widened when he saw that the gem had been replaced by his zanpakutou. He inspected the blade which was whole once more and touched the flat end of it with his palm. _

_A thought came to his mind._

"_I remember… I remember your name." _

_The beast eyes looked at him expectantly. _

"_**Then say it."**_

"_It's…"_

"_**Say it." **_

"_It's…" _

"_**Say it!"**_

"_Its…"_

"_**Call out my name, Uchiha Sasuke!"**_

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes and an explosion of dark blue reiatsu came from his body. It shot and danced around him like electrical currents as he grabbed hold of his broken zanpakutou's hilt and stood back up and screamed.

"_Strike from the heavens,__** Byakuraiju**_!"

Electrical currents danced all around the blade, making it glow light blue as it shifted in shape and form. Once the light died down, Sasuke's zanpakutou had undergone a metamorphosis. The blade was thirty inches long in length, with four sharp jagged edges on the bottom part of the blade. From the tip the blade curved out like an arrow, going down some five inches before curving back inward, giving the blade two pointed edges on the sharp side of the blade. The guard was at least four inches in circumference, white in color and was unique with a circle-shaped design, with three black tomoes inside that surrounded the blade. The hilt was nine inches in length and had a dark blue covering, with a white jagged lightning bolt going down on both sides of the center of the hilt. On the end of the hilt was a chain that was six inches in length and on the end had a silver, three-pointed pinwheel with a hole in the center.

Sasuke brought the zanpakutou to eye level and studied its features and was adequately impressed by it.

This was _his_ zanpakutou.

This was _Byakuraiju_.

"Impossible…" Nobunaga thought aloud, clearly surprised by Sasuke's awakening of his newfound power. It was evident that the man did not think that the Uchiha would be capable of getting back up. "How is it possible that you are still alive? Lost Zero should have corrupted you by now."

"_**You can only use it once, Sasuke." **_Byakuraju's voice said in Sasuke's mind.

'_I know.'_

Sasuke held _Byakuraiju _up, pointing it toward the skies. The heavens crackled with the deafening roar made by thunder. Bolts of lightning tore the dark skies asunder, splitting at the center where Sasuke was as rain poured hard from the clouds to the surface.

The Uchiha thought about all the people like Yuusuke who died because of people like Nobunaga. He thought about Bakusuke and his service to Lord Nishimura yet always seeking to achieve dreams of his own. He thought about Lady Noh and wondered why she would go out of her way to abandon her luxurious lifestyle and fight against Nobunaga for him? He thought about Captain Soifon and the pain and bitterness she felt when she was betrayed by one who she admired, trusted and respected most. He thought about Rukia and the heartache she must have felt when she took her vice-captain's life out of obligation.

"Nobunaga…" Sasuke said. "The peace you desire… shall never come to being."

Nobunga frowned before raising _Dai-Rokuten_ and slashing out, sending an arc of dark _reiryoku_ out against Sasuke.

The Uchiha's Sharingan shifted_. _

He whispered a name.

_**Susanoo**_…

The attack collided, creating a smokescreen in the aftermath. Nobunaga watched on, waiting for the smoke screen to clear.

As the smoke cleared, Nobunaga's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight he saw. There, standing where Sasuke once stood was a dark blue, humanoid being made of reiryoku. It was overbearing, appeared to be a demon without skin to cover its muscles, with a head that looked that of a Chinese Dragon, with four horns, a long appendage on its chin and fangs bore. Its two eye sockets glowed with light as it stared down directly at the Demon King.

"How…" the noble whispered.

Within _Susanoo_'s rib cage was Sasuke, who stared at Nobunaga with black eyes with red lines shaped as three ellipses overlapping each other.

"As long as one person lives, there's a chance it will never be achieved." Sasuke continued. "But… even if it is an unattainable dream, people have the right to their own kind of peace. They have that right because..."

Lightning formed around _Byakuraiju_, potent and crackling loudly.

"ANYONE WHO STRUGGLES IN LIFE, BOTH LIVING AND NEXT, HAS THE RIGHT TO ATTAIN THEIR OWN PEACE BY THEIR OWN HAND!"

"You cannot stop my vision, Uchiha Sasuke!" Nobunaga declared, lifting _Dai-Rokuten_ up above his head. "You cannot go against the power of _Dai-Rokuten_! You cannot overcome my desire, the desires of hundreds of thousands!" Nobunaga swung, releasing a powerful wave of dark _reiryoku_.

_"He can!" _

Before the dark reiryoku struck _Susanoo_, a light shone before him which canceled out the attack. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the backs of three souls standing before him, covered in a light aura which felt... familiar to the Uchiha. Standing in the center of the trio was a tall broad-shouldered man with long spiky white hair that reached past his back with a blade on his shoulder. Standing to his left was a blonde with a womanly figure, her hair done up in two pig tails with her sword still in its sheath at her side. To the right was another with long black and a light violet skin tone that the Uchiha had never seen before with a kimono on tied down by a thick rope that replaced the standard obi. His sword was in his right hand.

_"He can... if he had a little help."_

Both Sasuke and Nobunaga were dumbfounded by the appearance of these three warriors who stood in the Uchiha's defense. Sasuke pondered who they could be and why their reiatsu was so powerful until he remembered the words that Zennosuke had told him.

They couldn't be...

_"Uchiha Sasuke..." _

Sasuke looked at the black-haired man, who had turned to face him, together with his comrades. He flashed the Uchiha an unsettling grin._ "Finish what we started... and save Soul Society." _

Sasuke looked into the dark raining sky; a single beam of electrical energy shot from _Byakuraiju_ into the dark skies. A serpentine, celestial body descended in the form of blinding lightning.

_"Raiten Kirin!"_

Sasuke swung _Byakuraiju_ down; the lightning bolt shaped as the kirin-shaped beast returned back up to the skies before coming down upon Nobunaga, devouring him in a destructive white light.

_"Vanish in the roar of thunder."_

Looking to the dark orb in the skies above Juninran, Sasuke directed the heavenly beast upon it.

* * *

"Look over there!"

Eyes moved to the citadel in Lost Zero, eyes widening at the sight before them as a serpentine, celestial body of lightning that resembled a kirin descended from the dark skies and struck like blinding lightning.

An explosion erupted atop the black tower and the dark orb surrounding it began to falter.

Kyoraku was stunned by the sight of the familiar celestial beast. "Jushiro… wasn't that…"

Captain Ukitake nodded. "Yes… I believe it was, Shunsui. That was the _Raiten Kirin_."

The Commander-General of Soul Society watched the scene unfold, seeing it as the chance that they needed.

"Captain Soifon," Genryuusai ordered. "It is time."

One of the Kidō corps sergeants looked dismayed by the Commander-General's sense of timing. "But sir, it's only at 80% capacity. If we fired now then–"

"If we do not fire now than we lose our only window of opportunity!" He bellowed, frightening the Kidō squad member. The Commander-General looked to Soifon, opening his eyes and looking into hers. "Now… fire the Requiem Cannon."

Soifon gulped and nodded. "Right."

She pulled out her zanpakutou and inserted the blade in the slot which fit regular sized katana. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the task given to her.

The explosion of golden-yellow reiatsu that emanated from her person; the _reiatsu_ was then absorbed by the Requiem Cannon as it too began to emanate golden-yellow _reiatsu_. It pulsed at the tip of the barrel, the power given from Captain Soifon stemming from the energy that would be used if her zanpakutou was released from Bankai. It heated up the air around them.

"Making auto-corrections!" the Kidō Corps members shouted as they readjusted the cannon to aim directly at the dome.

Soifon's eyes snapped open. "NOW!"

At once, the Requiem Cannon fired a golden beam at the black dome. Unlike before when it was first used, the power wasn't swallowed up by Lost Zero but rather struck the cracked area of the black dome, piercing the dome and destroying the impermeable black substance which sustained the Black Citadel.

The Four Black Purgatory Gates responded, launching pillars of _reiryoku_ into the dark skies. The pillars then shot out glowing chains of reiryoku , flying over Seireitei and the Rukongai. Everyone who saw this was dumbfounded by the sheer magnitude of the chains's _reiatsu, _its intent not overbearing nor dangerous.

The spiked ends of the chains pierced into the Black Citadel, and the tower was then wrapped down by a myriad of chains of reiryoku which began to force the Black Citadel back into the Black Dome beneath and into the depths of Lost Zero.

Genryuusai slammed his cane into the ground.

"Storm the city at once!"

* * *

Sasuke jumped from the edge of the Black Citadel tower, flash-stepping away from the tower to not be brought down with it but a powerful shock wave emitted from the sealing chains threw the Uchiha around wildly in mid-air. It was then that he felt his strength, both physical and mental, leave him as the negative effects of Lost Zero finally took its fatal toll.

"It's… over…" he whispered.

As he was falling to the depths below, Sasuke realized how empty he felt even though he had managed to stop Nobunaga. He felt that he hadn't accomplished anything.

He he had failed to save Yuusuke's sister.

He he had strayed from his oath.

He had cut himself off from the only people who cared about him.

"I've… failed you… Yuusuke."

Darkness descended upon him.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__ Who knew a writer's block could be brought down from a brain freeze born from a strawberry-banana smoothie? _

_I certainly didn't. _

_But yeah… I just completely did a re-haul on this chapter. The original left something to desire and as such I changed a lot of things dramatically. To be honest it could be close to saying that this is pretty much almost completely original. I spent maybe an hour on figuring out Sasuke's Zanpakutou's name and another two figuring out its abilities in its first release. _

_Can't wait to see how long it'll take me to figure out its second release. _

_Oh. Joy. _

_Hahaha naw just playing I can't wait. I'm already thinking on ideas for Sasuke's Bankai but if you guys have any thoughts on it please feel free to let me know. _

_Now for the info Sheet: _

_**Byakuraiju**__, his name in literal English means "White Lightning Beast", is a Lightning – based Zanpakutou. When sealed, Byakuraiju appears as Sasuke's chokuto blade from the anime. As you all know, he can use chakra flow, or rather reiatsu flow, a technique he mastered while he worked with ANBU, to channel his lightning affinity into the blade and not only greatly increase its sharpness but its cutting range as well. _

_Byakuraiju's release command is "Strike from the heavens,". In its shikai Byakuraiju's blade extends in length, ang gains a three-pointed pinwheel-shaped shuriken attached to the hilt by a silver-white chain, which can become a means for which he can temporarily activate his Mangekyo Sharingan subconsciously and use a different form a Susanoo as was shown in this chapter. The chain itself can extend by an additional ten inches and act as a chain-sword of sorts._

_Byakuraiju's special ability allows it to tame natural lightning command it to strike whomever he wants, which is key to the technique "Raiten Kirin". However this ability is limited: it cannot bring lightning down from the sky if there are no thunder clouds which conjures lightning and it can be used only once per day. Currently it is the only technique which Byakuraiju has shown Sasuke since the amnesiac cannot remember all of the other releases that his zanpakutou has taught him or most of his past for that matter. When released, whatever body part that Byakuraiju cuts can temporarily cause a numb paralysis, the electrical currents emitted directly from the blade shocking the nerves in that area of the body, rendering them motionless._

_Will Byakuraiju be making an impact on Sasuke regaining his memories? Well that is only something time can tell ya'll._

_But imma tell ya'll one thing…_

_I'm back bitches._

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	27. The Lost Soul saved by Loving Bonds

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

* * *

_**Two Months after the Day of Black Judgment Incident…**_

Feeling the warm water run down her slender petite body, Rukia cleared her mind of thoughts as she stood under the warm shower. It had been quite awhile since she had time to just enjoy a shower in weeks and it gave her a moment of respite from the affairs outside of her duties as a Soul Reaper, even if they were short.

Opening her eyes, Rukia looked to the shutter window which exhibited rays of lights from the sun outside. A thought came to her mind, reminding her of another task that she had to do with her free time before anything else came up from her superiors. And with how hectic it had been for all of the Gotei Thirteen that could happen at anytime.

With a disappointed sigh, Rukia finished her shower. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel that was hung and ready on her right, drying herself quickly before going to grab her shihakusho. She made sure her uniform was on right and then proceeded to fold up her wet towel and place it in the rack. With that done, she took a quick glance at the mirror inside the bathroom before opening the shoji door and then headed to her captain's office.

She looked around and saw both Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentaro inking their paperwork but without the presence of Ukitate Jushiro.

"Where is Captain Ukitake?" Rukia inquired. Sentaro propped his head up at her voice.

"Ah, Kuchiki. The captain's out again. He didn't say where he was going but at least he told ME when he's coming back." The man with the white headband and white shoulder straps made from the same material said.

"Yeah, well the captain left the _most_ important things in charge to _me_." The light, blonde haired woman wearing a thick white collared shirt under her kosode said.

"Are you daft? The captain would never leave the _greater_ responsibilities to someone like you. He obviously left everything to me." Sentaro said.

"As if! No one in their right mind, especially the captain, would leave any form of responsibility to a gorilla like you!" Kiyone retorted.

"Look at yourself first, ya chimp!"

"What did you say you flat-chested nutjob?!"

Rukia sighed, knowing that it was going to be another long, drawn out argument between her superiors. "I just wanted to inform Captain Ukitake that I'd be going to the 4th Division Barracks today."

Kiyone had just boxed in Sentaro's face when she brought her attention to the other female soul reaper. "Again? But Rukia… he's…"

"Please tell the captain if he happens to return before I do." Rukia said, giving her superiors a quick respectful bow and before either of them could advise against it, turned around and left.

* * *

Stepping out of the 13th Division HQ with a bag full of apples, Rukia made her way towards the 4th Division Barracks. One her way she took notice of all the Soul Reapers in large groups making their way for the West Gate. They were most likely to aid in the reconstruction effort taking place beyond the gate in Rukongai.

"Lets move people! Juninran isn't going to rebuild itself y'know!" a tall woman with kept hair barked at her charges.

"But Fuu-san," one of them spoke up. "…we need a break here! We've been working for the last two days straight. We're spent."

The Soul Reaper, possibly a seated officer, shook her head. "Stop your whining! You are Soul Reapers of the Gotei Thirteen so you will follow orders or I'll feed your insubordination to Captain Aizen!"

"S-Sorry! Okay we'll go!"

Rukia couldn't help but smile at the scene. It was a silent law that Soul Reapers kept themselves out of the affairs of the Rukongai but at the order of the Commander-General and approval of Central Forty-Six, the Gotei Thirteen had responded with immediate aid and relief efforts to help those who had survived the catastrophe.

Continuing on her trek to the 4th Division, Rukia began to recount what had happened since that day when the black light had struck fear and terror within the heart of many, infamously called the Day of Black Judgment. Captain Ukitake had led his task force of two hundred soul reapers, which included herself, out into Juninran, the first of the three western Rukon districts that had been affected by the calamity, and what she saw had left her horrified. They had barely been a city left, only a large crater filling the ground where it had once stood, with Soul Reapers from the other divisions, most notably the 2nd and 6th, being on the scene first to help with any search and rescue efforts. From the collective reports of many surviving residents of Juninran and its neighboring towns and smaller cities, the captains were able to make out from all the chaos and pandemonium that the cause of it all was a black, skyscraping structure which had erupted from within Lost Zero and the black light it had conjured which had surrounded the Court of Pure Souls. Then, two black meteor-sized balls of reiryoku had imploded above them and rained down utter carnage and destruction in their wake, destroying much of the residential areas as well as far off villages.

The third one, which the survivors recounted to be the final one which would finish them, was stopped by a giant radiant dragon-horse. Almost appearing like lightning, it had struck the giant ball and unsettled it, stopping it from destroying what was left of the first three districts of West Rukon and then flew across the skies and purified the black aura which had contained Seireitei, allowing the Soul Reapers to make their move. Many had begun to revere the entity as the Divine Kirin of Izanagi, their savior in their times of despair.

By the order of Central Forty-Six, an incredibly long and thorough investigation of took place afterwards, with most of the critical information needed brought to Central Forty-Six's attention by Uchiha Sasuke's reports. His information on the noble families responsible for the corruption of the 2nd Division and the _Onmitsukido_ lead them to arrest without warrant many noblemen and investigate their estates, effectively 'fishing out skeletons from their closets'. It helped the Gotei Thirteen's investigation further when Lady Noh, the widow of Oda Nobunaga, provided all the information they needed after surviving her deadly bout with Hattori Hanzo. When questioned about Hanzo's whereabouts, she had little to offer other than that he had managed to escape the flames that had consumed the Oda Castle.

Another interesting piece of information that was brought up bu both Lady Noh and Sasuke's reports was that Nishimura Kankuro Masatoshi, the man thought by the respective leaders of the 2nd and 6th Divisions to be a turn-coat, was actually not. He was not only the father of Lady Noh, but had purposefully placed her in Lord Nobunaga's house as a spy in order to collect critical information on his financial revenues in the hopes of crushing his shady business deals and creating a larger monopoly for the Nishimura House. Lord Masatoshi was saved from the guillotine but was stripped of his titles, rank and estates and sentenced to a rather 'comfortable' prison for the next forty years.

On the topic of the Oda House, the remains of Oda Nobunaga's body…or what was left of it, was found near the outskirts of the Court of Pure Souls. What was used to identify the remains of his body the Oda House's Emblem made of sekki sekki stone hidden on his person.

After finally being informed of Kuchiki Byakuya and Soifon's secret operation, the _Commander-General _wanted to render punishment for their use of their own Division's resources for their personal affairs without any notification or permission given. In a move that surprised many, Rukia's older brother Byakuya took full responsibility for the fiasco. He was fined heavily, and was suspended without pay for two weeks, with the removal of certain Soul Reapers at his disposal and his taxes was increased to compensate for the repairs in Juninran. Captain Soifon gave her formal thanks to the Kuchiki House for Byakuya's selflessness.

She didn't know what kind of punishment the Commander-General and/or Central Forty-Six may have imposed on her, but whatever they would have been, it would dwarf Byakuya's punishment.

Rukia looked at the 4th Division's gate, their emblem high above the wooden gate on the white archway. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart but ignored the feeling. She addressed the guards stationed with greetings before proceeding inside the barracks.

"Ah, Kuchiki-san. Please, this way if you would." One attendee said, leading her through the ward for the terminally ill.

One more person had been found after the Day of Black Judgment as well, just outside the Black Dome which encased Lost Zero by the 2nd Division's _Onmitsukido_ Corps. He had been given immediate emergency first aid care and, on the behest of Captain Soifon, was then was transferred to the 4th Division. Rukia had only found out because the Captain of Division Two had sent word to her, to which she had requested immediate emergency leave and went to the 4th Division. The diagnosis that came from Vice-Captain Kotetsu Isane as she arrived to meet Captain Soifon outside the Uchiha's quarters. With a heavy heart from Isane, they had received both good and horrible news.

The good news was that the patient was physically exhausted but was recovering, albeit slowly.

Once at the door, the attendee bowed and left her. Rukia took a deep breath. _'Put your happy face one.'_ She told herself mentally before bringing a forced smile to her face. She then opened the door and proceeded inside.

"It's me again, Sasuke-san."

In his bed, Uchiha Sasuke did not respond. His face had lost color and his hair was that of a fading black, messy and unkept. His eyes were closed shut and the very faint movement of his chest indicated that he was still breathing. Food was fed intravenously because he couldn't feed himself. He couldn't talk. He couldn't move. He couldn't hear or see anything.

The horrible news that Rukia and Captain Soifon had received two months earlier from Vice-Captain Isane was that Uchiha Sasuke was under a coma… and it was unlikely that he would ever awaken.

As her usual custom, Rukia would sit on a chair by the bedside and peel apples. She knew it was useless to feed him, as they were grinded to liquid later, but only the incessant peeling in the little time she gave him made her forget the harsh reality that was confined in this room.

"Yesterday, I went out again to Juninran to help with the reconstruction efforts. It was long and hard days work but it brought a smile to everyone's faces. Even Sentaro-san and Kotetsu-san were arguing about who would carry more logs over to where Captain Ukitake had asked for them to go." Rukia stopped peeling for a moment and covered her mouth as she let out a small giggle to the memory. "Nobody wants to admit aloud but I think that even the Commander-General feels partially responsible for what happened, even though it was no way his fault. The good thing was that the districts weren't completely wiped out and it gave the Commander-General cause to order a joint reconstruction effort in the area."

She finished peeling the first apple and started on the second one. "From what information Nii-sama granted me, Lady Noh of the Oda House enlightened everyone that you the one who faced off against Oda Nobunaga atop the Black Citadel in Lost Zero. I don't doubt it; after all you were so set on stopping him yourself you took the mission entrusted to you by your captain without so much as a gesture of hesitance. According to Nii-sama, your involvement in the matter will not be added to record at the request of Captain Soifon. I guess this makes you something of an unknown hero, doesn't it Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke's undisturbed quiet breathing was Rukia's only answer. She kept her smile up and proceeded on her third apple now. When she had been given permission to visit him from the 4th Division Captain a month and a half ago, Rukia had found it hard to try and say anything to Sasuke's sleeping form, feeling uneasy about it at first and stupid because she could not bring herself to say anything. She had then began to bring apples with her whenever she visited, and as she peeled them she felt slightly more comfortable to speak to him with every visit until she was able to talk to him completely like its was normal for him not to answer.

Turning back to the apple in her hand, she began to peel again. "I asked and searched for Yuusuke's sister's whereabouts but the surviving members of the Souma house do not know anything, whether if she is alive or not."

She gasped and looked back to Sasuke with a slightly panicked expression. "I-I mean, I bet she is alive and well, Sasuke-san! Maybe she is in hiding or something but I bet she is just fine!"

Once again, the very subtle movement of Sasuke's index finger was caught by Rukia. It showed that Sasuke's subconscious was still responsive to any mention of Yuusuke or Setsuka's names. When she had first seen the movement she had once thought that Sasuke would wake up but that was a bitter false hope to swallow on her part.

Rukia let out a depressed sigh, her shoulders slumping down. Many who knew Rukia in the 13th Division and the Gotei Thirteen were questioning why she continually visited the comatose 3rd Seated-Officer of Division Two, whether or not he was a close friend of hers or a former lover of all things. When she had told those who mattered of her relation with Sasuke, they had tried to convince her to stop coming to visit him.

On the surface, Rukia couldn't help but agree with them; she had only ever interacted with Sasuke three times in her entire life, this being the technical fourth. As such, they were only been only acquaintances at best, or at least they should've been only acquaintances.

Everything they said made sense… but…

Sasuke was something else to her. She hadn't realized it then, but the first time that they met he didn't know just how relieved she felt when she finally had found someone she could completely confide in without the feeling of being judged. She was glad to see how solemn he was in his words and his actions, either good or bad. In a manner of a few hours Sasuke had left a strong impression on her, and had helped her see that trying to forget her past would only make things hurt more in the long run. It was this strong impression of him that made her secretly attempt to find information about the Uchiha for him, to see whether or not he was a former Soul Reaper or an exile.

The second time she had seen him again, she had fought the Uchiha in order to save him from being hounded or possibly executed by the _Onmitsukido_ Corps. She had reaffirmed his strength and he had made her realize her limitation and strengths. While not exactly a pleasant memory to some, Rukia thought of it as a precious one, because when they had fought both she and Sasuke had read each others hearts in ways that others could not fathom. Her Captain had once told her that sometimes the best way for two people to understand each other was for them to cross blades and until that day she didn't actually understand what her captain was trying to say to her. Even after she had brought Sasuke to Soul Society and they parted ways, she still kept tabs on the Uchiha, listening in on the rumors which circulated about him whenever she heard them.

The third was the most painful memory she had of Uchiha Sasuke, the day of the meeting between her lord brother and Captain Soifon. That day, Rukia wanted to speak with Sasuke, to convince him to not take the mission and to help ease his pain but he had rebuked her and tried to painfully push her away. And even though it had hurt her, the respect she had for him and the feeling of pain and grief that Sasuke gave was why she did not hold it against him when his words had struck her. Because she too, felt the despair and loneliness that the Uchiha had etched in his soul, the same feelings she had when Shiba Kaien died in her arms.

Without a doubt in her mind, she knew that Sasuke was one who could truly understand people's pain and suffering, happiness and joy. So when she had found out about his comatose, she made it her responsibility to come and visit him every day so he wouldn't be alone.

Because if she didn't come to visit him, to help ease his loneliness… then who would?

Finishing the last of the apples, Rukia continued to smile as she put the knife and apple peels away in her bag. "I'm going to go now, Sasuke-san. I'll see you again tomorrow." She put the peeled apples on the plate on the Uchiha's bed counter for the nurse to liquefy later for him. She took once last glance at Sasuke's form before opening the door. Once she stepped out and closed the door behind her, Rukia aloud her forced smile to fall.

"Sasuke-san…" she whispered before taking a breath.

"Kuchiki Rukia."

Startled, Rukia jumped and turned, seeing the captain of the 2nd Division standing to her side just a couple feet away.

"Captain Soifon." She addressed, bowing in respect to her superior. She didn't know that Sasuke's captain had come to visit. "I'm sorry I didn't know you were there."

"How is he?" Soifon asked plainly.

"His condition is the same. He only reacts when I mention either Yuusuke or Setsuka." Rukia answered.

The captain brought her hand up and bit her thumb nail. "That fool…"

Normally, Rukia would've been offended at the remark, like she had been during the first time she had heard her mutter the insult. However she had later found out through Captain Unohana that it was Soifon's own way of voicing her guilt and concern for her subordinate. She had also found out that the _Onmitsukido_ Corps Commander had made Sasuke her personal protégé before being assigned the mission which changed everything. So after carefully observing Captain Soifon's patterns whenever she saw her, her clenched fists, her strong anger, her downcast eyes and her depressed sighs, told Rukia something about the merciless Division Two captain.

Hardened, she may be, but even Soifon had a soft spot of concern for Uchiha Sasuke.

"This is my fault…"

Soifon's whisper surprised Rukia. It was the first time she had heard the older woman take responsibility for her subordinate's current state. "I'm the one who manipulated him and directed his vengeance for my own means."

"Captain Soifon…" Rukia began, unsure of what to say. "That isn't…"

"Forget what I said, Kuchiki. I'm speaking nonsense." The guilt-ridden captain ordered before she turned and walked away from Sasuke's door.

Rukia watched her leave before looking at Sasuke's door one last time before leaving herself.

* * *

_**Hueco Mundo…**_

An empty night sky that never turned blue…

An empty desert that continued on for eternity…

All of which were illuminated only by the pale crescent moon.

Under that moon, atop a large dune of white sand, was a white coated figure. She was on her knees, pale ivory toned hands clasped together with eyes closed as if she were in prayer. Two large ribbons were fastened from her blue hair and ended at her knees, indigo in color and bearing upside down crosses on the end of each one. She had a single white, hooded trench coat on with long sleeves far too large for her slender arms. The coat was unzipped just down her small chest, showing the gapping hole that creviced her chest just above her small bosom. On the bottom half of her unzipped coat she wore a short, frill violet skirt with black stockings and heeled, leather black boots which ended at her calves. Strapped to her side was a short wakizashi blade with a blue hilt and dark violet scabbard.

Her most prominent feature was the remains of a hollow skull mask that covered the top right side of her head and up to the fringes, with three small horns protruding from the top of it.

_Restless moon that sits upon the abyss of the heavens_

_Hallowed be the sad souls who roam your realm_

_Casting their eternal shadows upon the deep of their jaws_

_Masking their hunger in gleeful madness_

_Under the zenith of your eternal, cold gaze_

_I curse your celestial contempt, putting a pox on your never ending illusion_

"I see you still like to prose, Ramia."

Ramia opened her eyes and turned her head, seeing the owner of the voice to be a woman. She also wore a white long coat, unzipped to show her white corset, however unlike hers the sleeves ended just past her forearms with a same styled upside down cross tattooed on back of her left hand. Her coat hid her violet skirt fastened with britches to her lycra stockings, but did reveal enough to show her black boots. Strapped on her back was a katana with a red hilt. The woman brought her hands up, taking hold of her hood and pulled it down, revealing her face. She had red rose colored hair, which she brought out with her hands that ended just past her shoulders, which contrasted well with the black mascara on her eyes and brought out the beauty in them and her beautiful face.

Unlike Ramia, her Hollow mask was almost complete broken apart, save for the bony diamond on the middle of her forehead and slim lines which started from the side of her eyes and down to her cheeks.

An Arrancar, the same as she.

"Sister… you are late." Ramia replied, if not in a bemusing tone. "You know if he was the first here then he'd be _very_ upset with you."

"I thought him incapable of being upset," The other female Hollow said. "Besides, I… was tied down by something that acquired my attention."

"No matter…" Ramia stood up and walked past her sister. "Let us proceed. If we show up late then I won't forgive you."

"Hmph."

They began to trek through the grey-white desert, both continuing a comfortable silence. Eventually they stopped near two intertwining, malnourished trees.

"Will you or should I?" Testarossa asked.

Ramia glanced at her older sister before stepping forward. She drew her sword from its scabbard and cut the palm of her left hand before extending it out in the empty space between the two trees. Blood shot forth from the cut, covering the two trees with her lifeblood. Soon the blood was absorbed by the trees and the space between the trees rippled like a rock falling into a body of water.

Ramia sheathed her sword. "Lets go."

They both entered the space and arrived in a crystalline cave. They continued until they arrived in the deep of the grotto where above them was a large hole which gave them a clear view of the crescent moon above their heads. In the center of the cavern was a large pristine white round table with ten seats going around it.

Ramia and her sister moved and stood by their respectively seats.

"They're late." Ramia pointed out.

"Every one is late to you, Ramia." Testarossa said as she stood beside her chair waiting for the others to arrive.

"Because they are!" Ramia said with a tone of annoyance. Testarossa glanced at her younger sister with a bored look.

"So if you believe that everyone else is late, then are you suggesting that our master is late as well, little sister?"

Upon hearing Testarossa's question, Ramia's cheeks tinted up some and she turned away from Testarossa, crossing her arms beneath her small mounds. "I hate you, sister."

Testarossa smirked. "Thought so."

After a period of what seemed like ten minutes of silence, Ramia and Testarossa felt the reiatsu of another approaching. He came in the way that they had, wearing a white coat the same in design as both sisters and had a sword on his left side as he walked up to a seat some away from Ramia, completely ignorant of the other coated figure. He did not have his hood on, showing his violet color hair that was tied loosely and hung around his shoulder. He had a white scarf around his neck and his eyes were dark blue. On his cheek was a tattoo, a large emboldened 'D' with the number '4' emboldened next to it.

"It's about time you showed up, Despair." Ramia called out.

Despair was unresponsive to her.

A small bulge formed on Ramia's head. "Didn't you hear me call out your name, Despair? Answer me when I do!"

Still there was no response from the man.

Ramia's eye's narrowed. "That's it!"

Before she could lung at Despair, Testarossa put a hand on her sister's shoulder, keeping her still.

"Leave him be, Ramia. He will not respond to you." She said gently.

"But—

"He will not _respond_ to _you_." The rosette said, emphasizing her words. Ramia reluctantly removed her grip and went back to her seat.

"My apologies for his behavior, ladies." Another voice echoed within the cavern. His presence was seen upon entering the domain of the round table. "Thank you, Testarossa."

"Desire…" The aforementioned woman said.

"I bear a message from the others in the World of the Living," Despair finally spoke. "They will not be attending due to the increased annoyances of those humans belonging to this _ANBU Corps_. You are to act as their proxy."

"What do you mean they're busy?" Ramia asked, well more like demanded, Despair. It was quite apparent that her anger was increasing by the second due to Despair's antics.

"What it means, Ramia," Desire answered in place of Despair. "…is that Deceit and Destruction are enjoying themselves far too much to take part in this."

"You're so full of it, aren't you?" Ramia barked.

Desire smirked and feigned ignorance. "Whatever do you mean, Ramia…chan?"

Ramia's eyes glowed as her hand went for the hilt of her wakizashi-sized sword. "How bout I do us all a favor and carve that smirk off your face!"

"I see you all still retain such wonderful attitudes." Another voice echoed in the cavern. All eyes were drawn to the entrance opposite to the ones that the others had used and saw two figures approaching them. They wore the shihakusho of the Soul Reapers, along with the white haoris which signified them as Captains of the Gotei Thirteen. One had white hair with a wicked grin that could intimidate lesser beings on his face while the other wore glasses and had brown hair.

"Oh don't mind me. I do enjoy the sight of seeing a bloodbath." The white-haired captain spoke.

"Please, Gin," the spectacle wearing Soul Reaper said before turning to the others. "My apologies for our lateness everyone; we had some… loose ends to take care of on our side. It would've saved us quite some time if you had simply cleaned up after yourself, Desire."

Ramia's angry eyes were immediately replaced with those of admiration when she saw the man to who held her affections. "Aizen-sama!"

"Aizen Sousuke, Captain of the 5th Division of the Gotei Thirteen… honestly, I didn't believe you when you told us that Uchiha Sasuke still lived, it appears that you were right after all." Desire said.

"Hmph, as if you should ever doubt Aizen-sama!" Ramia said with a smirk.

"Your love for this Soul Reaper continues to astound me." Desire said with mild disgust.

"What's that suppose to mean, Desire?!"

"So I take it this is everyone…" Aizen said. "…who will be attending today?"

"No." Testarossa spoke, earning the attention of her peers. "Our master shall be here soon."

"I see," Aizen said as she stood by his seat. He gave her a nod. "Very well then."

The loud cry of what sounded like a falcon echoed in the cavern.

"Ah." Testarossa looked out the large hole which showed the crescent moon above their heads. "He's here now."

A falcon's cry echoed in the cavern once again, the black bird-shaped shadow circling over their heads three more times before diving into the cavern at the speed of lightning. It landed in the center of the cavern; black flames which continued to burn everything it consumed. The flames then gathered and took form of a humanoid figure, who wore a white hooded trench coat and black boots similar to Ramia and Testarossa's, with the exception of having a black feathered trim on the hood. At his side was an uchigatana with a black hilt and white scabbard.

"Creo-sama." Desire said, bending on one knee and bowing his head to the new addition in respect. Ramia followed his movement, with Testarrossa and the others following suite as well.

"Creo-sama." They said in unison.

The man stood up, his face hidden by his white, black feather hood, but he was indeed staring directly at the only one who was not bending knee to him.

"Creo-dono," Aizen smiled before offering a small bow. "Thank you for accepting my invitation to this meeting. I had hoped you-"

"Aizen Sousuke…"

Aizen stopped speaking as he felt a sudden spike of reiatsu fall upon him and all those present. It was powerful, dark, foreboding and devoid of all feeling, which matched the tone of voice he used when he addressed him.

"Why have you come to my domain?"

Aizen smile did not diminish as he stood straight. "To talk about your subordinate's recent ventures in Soul Society, of course."

Creo's hood turned in the direction of where Desire was kneeling. "What Desire has done in Soul Society is of my will and does not violate our agreement."

"Indeed," Aizen said. "I know it does not. However it does interest me what you had hoped to accomplish with bringing about a Second Lost Zero incident."

Creo's hood turned back to Aizen. "The end of Soul Society was never part of my short-term plan, no matter how much I would have preferred it if Lost Zero had indeed destroyed that wretched false utopia."

Aizen chuckled. "Then in that case can I say it is safe to assume that you still have no intention of killing me?"

Creo turned his back to the Soul Reaper and made his way to the empty chair which Desire and Testarossa knelt beside. He turned on his heel and upon sitting down stopped releasing his reiatsu. "If you wish to die now, then yes it is indeed safe to assume."

If Aizen appeared threatened by Creo's answer, he did not show it. Instead he simply took the seat which was opposite of Creo and brought his arm up to lean on his fist. Gin Ichimaru followed in turn. "You haven't change in the last ten years after all. A shame; I had hoped that you and I could finally do away with past slights and hostilities to achieve a much grander form cooperation."

"The fact that Creo-sama is allowing you to sit there with your head still attached to your shoulders shows that he is indeed being _cooperative_ with you." Desire said, taking his seat beside his master. The others followed Desire's example and took their respective seats around the round table.

"Regardless, I hope that this wasn't apart of your plan to obtain more dark matter, Creo-dono."

"And if it was, Aizen?" Creo retorted. "What of it?"

Aizen sighed. "I simply cannot fathom why you have such a keen interest in such an unstable substance such as dark matter. The way you go about obtaining it is reckless and brings unnecessary strife."

Despair went for the hilt of his sword.

"Shoot to kill, _**Shins**__**ō**__." _

A white blade shot forth toward Despair, stopping just a centimeter short of contact with his right eye. All eyes, save Creo and Aizen's, were drawn to the blade and then to its owner.

"Ah ah ahhh! It's not wise to put a hand to one's zanpakutou while in the process of negotiations," Gin said sarcastically, his slitted eyes staring off directly at Despair. "You might just lose an eye… or an arm… heck maybe your life."

Despair looked unperturbed by Gin's zanpakutou.

"Gin, please it is quite alright." Aizen said to his subordinate. Gin made no effort to respond to Aizen, his answer being that his zanpakutou began to retract away from Despair.

"Of course, Aizen."

As the tension died down slightly, Creo looked over to Desire_. _"Desire, the way that you handled yourself while in Soul Society was indeed reckless."

"I apologize, Creo-sama," Desire said, bowing his head. "I shall be more careful next time."

"It matters not." Creo stated before looking towards Aizen once more. "Now... tell me why you have really called for a meeting."

"Straight to the point I see." Aizen said with a smile. "Very well then I'll get to the point. With the recent events surrounding Lost Zero, I've found it prudent that I request your aid."

"My aid?"

Aizen nodded in confirmation. "Yes. There are certain things going on within Soul Society that require my attention and while the chaos brought about by Lost Zero has indeed left a mark, it has not caused enough of a distraction to fully cover my movements."

"So you want my aid to cover your movements in your Soul Society?"

"Yes; you see I know that you seek Dark Matter for your… private use and in exchange for aiding me you will have access to the raw materials you need for Dark Matter… and I will give you what you desire most."

Creo's hood titled slightly, indicating his curiosity. "What I desire most is far beyond your limited power, Aizen. I am already an Arrancar and I have no desire to join up with you."

Aizen chuckled. "As much as it would delight me that you would accept my offer to become my ally, no that is not what I mean. What I shall give you is information."

"Information? What information could you possibly have that it would convince me to help you?"

Aizen smiled.

"The whereabouts of Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

Rukia had just finished helping in Juniran when she came to the 4th Division barracks and visited Uchiha Sasuke. She was sitting at her usual place by his side, a bag of fresh apples in hand as she took one out and began to peel it with her knife. She had been contemplating what to say to Sasuke all day and even now, while at his bedside peeling her third apple, she wondered on what to talk to him about today.

A thought came to her mind, one that she had wanted to tell him before when he had been awake. With a saddened sigh, she looked over at Sasuke.

"You know… I want to tell you a story about the two people I held dearly to my heart. The first one was gentle and serene, but in battle, she was determined and serious. In a way, she was just like you. Her name was Shiba Miyako. The second person was brimming with life, strong of mind and heart and always with a smile on his face, never letting anything stop him. That man was Shiba Kaien."

She paused, putting the half-peeled apple down on the table stand, a feeling of uncertainty rising up in her stomach. She had never spoken to anyone about that fateful day, even to her own captain.

"Miyako-san and Kaien-dono were everything I wish I was. Day by day, their friendship and kindness slowly filled up the hole in my heart, little by little. I mostly admired Kaien-dono, as he was the one who constantly interacted with me. He couldn't care less if I was of noble lineage. To him, I was simply Kuchiki Rukia, an uptight and needlessly formal girl of the 13th Division."

Rukia lowered her eyes, the painful events of the past drowning her in pent up sorrow. "One night, a Hollow that had the ability to destroy other people's zanpakutou was on the run, killing Soul Reapers left and right. Miyako-san was one of those victims. Kaien-dono went after the Hollow to avenge her death and fought it in a duel. I'll never forget how the Hollow warped Kaien-dono and turned him into a monstrosity. He turned on me and… I killed him. I killed my vice-captain in cold blood. I don't think I ever forgave myself for committing such an unspeakable crime."

Rukia gripped her black hakama hard and gritted her teeth. "That day, when we met at the mansion, I…I envied your hatred. I know, even though I can't believe it myself… sometimes… I wish I could hate all the Hollows, using that hate to simply cut them all down without feeling anything, using that hate to give me a drive."

A tear fell on her hand. "But… I can't. I can't because on that day, something was given to me by my captain."

Rukia turned to Sasuke's bedside, taking his frail hand and clasping it in hers. "I was given a heart. On that day, Kaien-dono told me never to die alone because if you did, there would be no one to give my heart to. I'm sure that when Yuusuke died in your arms, he was happy, happy that he would leave the legacy of his heart to you."

"…eart…"

The mumble from comatose patient startled Rukia. She clasped his hand harder than before. "S-Sasuke-san!"

"Yuu…suke… art…" He mumbled once more.

Rukia's eyes widened. "Sasuke-san! Please, please wake up!"

The door burst open behind her. Rukia quickly turned around and saw Captain Soifon standing at the entrance. "I found her!"

* * *

"This is it."

Rukia had arrived with Captain Soifon and Sasuke to a small wooden house in the middle of an urban road in the sixth Western Rukon District. Sasuke was in wheelchair, his eyes still closed shut but his skin wasn't as pale as before. Rukia pushed the wheelchair to the house until they came up to the door.

Soifon gave it a quick knock.

"You may enter." A gentle voice said.

Soifon glanced at Rukia for a short second before hesitantly opening the door and entering the house. The inside decorum was warm, with the wooden flooring being complete clean and the inside looking ever so cozy, giving off a warm feeling that it reached even a cold hearted woman like her feel something.

"Just one moment!" the voice called out. "Please go ahead and take a seat at the kotetsu."

Rukia proceeded to push Sasuke further inside, followed closely by Soifon. They entered the living room, where they stood waiting for Setsuka to come out from the kitchen. They heard a rolling sound until they saw a green-haired woman sitting in a wheelchair matching the description given by her relatives at the kitchen entrance.

"Oh my… I knew I sensed Soul Reapers but I was not expecting a visit from a captain of all people." Setsuka said, rolling inside with a surprised look. "What can I do for you?"

"Your legs…" Rukia said absentmindedly. Setsuka looked down and gave a weary smile.

"The Day of Black Judgment caused my place of residence to collapse. Unfortunately, my legs were caught in the debris. I have a doctor who occasionally comes and visits to help me with my treatment. Other than that, he is very… certain that I will never walk again." Setsuka revealed.

"I'm so sorry." Rukia offered. Setsuka shook her head and gave the two a smile.

"It's not your fault. Besides, the person responsible for that was brought to justice, wasn't he? Knowing that he was is more than enough for me." Sighing, she asked. "So how can I help… you…"

He gaze wandered to the comatose Sasuke in his wheelchair. "Oh no! Is your friend alright?"

Soifon stepped forward. "Actually... he is the reason why we came here."

"What do you mean?"

"Shiori Setsuka," Soifon looked over to her her third-seated officer. "This is Uchiha Sasuke."

At that moment, Setsuka's expression changed from one of worry to sheer disbelief. "…What?"

"You see, Shiori-san…"Rukia then explained the condition of the amnesiac to Setsuka and afterwards Soifon explained the secret mission that Sasuke undertook in its entirety to the lesser noblewoman.

Gradually, as Soifon finished her explanation, Setsuka's facial features changed from one of disbelief to one of absolute anger. Setsuka looked back to Sasuke and rolled her wheelchair over next to his, examining the comatose Uchiha further.

"…Why would you do this to him?"

Soifon blinked. "The corruption of the nobility—"

"I'm not asking about that!" Setsuka interrupted with a shout. "I'm asking why you would manipulate Sasuke to use his desire for vengeance for your mission?! It is wrong to twist someone's pain, sorrow and anger for your own bidding!"

The scion of the Shiori looked back at Sasuke. "Calling him an _Onimusha_… an avenger…What gave you the right to do such a thing? What gave you the right to manipulate him and cause him even more pain?!"

Soifon could not help but be taken aback at being scolded by someone of lesser status than she was. Normally, being offended in that manner would've resulted into a sound beating but now it felt like the roles had reversed. Rukia couldn't believe that Soifon was allowing someone to speak to her in such a manner but said nothing. She did not want to be on the receiving end of the girl's scolding.

"I…"

"Please wait outside." Setsuka asked her. "I do not wish to continue a conversation with someone as manipulative as you are."

Soifon merely nodded and reluctantly left. Setsuka looked back to Sasuke and dropped her angry expression, replacing it with a caring, gentler one while taking hold of his hands.

Rukia thought to herself that such a gentle look suited the young girl far better.

"You are in pain as well…"

Rukia jumped and looked at Setsuka before pointing a questioning finger at herself. "You mean me?"

Setsuka laughed softly. "Yes, I mean you, Kuchiki-san."

"But how did you—

"Everyone have certain pains in their heart. Ever since I could remember, I had this… ability to sense someone's emotions." She said, now bearing a saddened facial expression. "But Uchiha-san… he had so many going in his mind that it's hard to depict which one is the strongest."

"Will he ever wake up?" Rukia asked worriedly. Setsuka smiled gently once more.

"Yes. What I think Sasuke needs right now is…forgiveness."

She leaned in and brought her face close to Sasuke's and whispered in his ear, "Sasuke… I forgive you."

And for the first time since being found, Sasuke's eyes finally opened and turned his head towards the seraphic voice.

Setsuka smiled as tears fell form her eyes. "That's right. I unconditionally and wholeheartedly forgive you."

"Set… suka…" Sasuke mumbled almost inaudibly, his hand grasping hers. Rukia's heart jumped at the sight. "W-Why?"

"Because… you are my family."

Sasuke's reiatsu gently pulsated throughout the house. His eyes returned to their lustrous back.

"F-Family?" He asked, now with more life than before.

"Yes. Yuusuke is my brother. He became your blood brother. That technically makes me your blood sister. But… it is not blood that makes family. No, it is the unbreakable bond forged between us that does. That's why I forgive you."

"Setsuka…"

"Shiori-san…" Rukia mouthed in wonderment at the girl's soothing words.

"So let it go. Let go of your hatred, okay, _nii-san?"_Setsuka said with a radiant smile. Unwillingly, rows of tears fell from the Uchiha, tears stemming from the pain, hatred and despair he had harbored for so long. Unconditional forgiveness could only come from one thing and one thing only and it was love.

Love that had saved him…

Love that had freed him…

Love that had _redeemed_ him.

"Kuchiki-san, please let us be for awhile." Setsuka requested. Rukia could only agree fervently, relieved that Sasuke had finally found his salvation.

* * *

Sasuke pushed the wheelchair in small steps, trying hard to dissolute the shock from the granulated road. Setsuka hummed a song, content with the _umibouzu_ the amnesiac had bought for her on their way to their appointed place. He bought but only because Setsuka agreed to call him by his given name.

"There it is." Setsuka said, pointing on the hills.

"Yeah…" Sasuke agreed, pushing the wheelchair until they arrived at the peak. There, he could see what Yuusuke could have seen had he still been alive, with the difference that Juninran had lost a part of its glory. Setsuka did not say anything and neither did he. To them, this was akin to a monument and they revered in their heart the man that touched them both.

"I'm going to build an orphanage here." The lightly lime- haired girl said, breaking the silence. Sasuke did not respond, wanting to hear more. "Mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers; I will welcome them with open arms into this orphanage and teach them that no matter how lonely they think they are, there is someone out there who will still love them."

"That's a great idea." Sasuke said.

"You think so?" Setsuka asked. Sasuke looked at her and gave her one of his rare, genuine and heartfelt smile.

"Indeed. I'll help you as well." He said.

"Thank you…but this isn't your role here." She said, playing around with the toy.

"But—

"You made a promise, remember? I can't hold you here, knowing you have something to fulfill. Onii-chan would've not wanted it so."

Sasuke could only let out a small grumble, earning a giggle from his blood sister. "It can wait."

"And so can this. You can come back here once you fulfilled your goal. Then, we can use your forgotten past as a wonderful story for the children here." Setsuka offered, to which the Uchiha showed a face of anxiety.

"What if it's something terrible?"

"What if it is something beautiful?"

Sasuke looked at her. "Do you always do that?"

Setsuka smiled and let out a giggle. "Sometimes."

Sasuke couldn't help but stare at her, at how she was able to giggled, to smile, to be so full of life. It was something that awed him. She had gone through so much and yet she was capable of doing such things.

Setsuka giggling stopped when she noticed Sasuke staring at her. "What is it, nii-san?"

"How is it that you're so strong?"

Setsuka lowered her head, playing with the doll in her lap while she contemplated her words.

"I'm not strong. I was so devastated… when my mother and father died. I cried every day for a long time. But Onii-chan… he would always try to comfort me with a smile on his face, always try to make me laugh or come outside with him. I was so angry at him, at how he was always just smiling and not feeling the same pain I felt. Finally I just snapped at him; I yelled and I screamed at him at how he couldn't feel what I felt. Do you want to know what he said?"

Sasuke nodded.

"He said: _'I cry when you're not there, sis. When I go to sleep, I cry too but when I wake up, I remember dreaming about mom and dad and you laughing and I feel a whole lot better. So I just try as hard as I can to remember that so I won't cry so much.' _When I heard him say that, I felt horrible. I cried again and he just held me and told me it'd be alright and he cried with me."

"He's absolutely right. I always feel a little better when I remember them that way." Setsuka closed her eyes and the Uchiha could see she was just doing what she had just said. When she opened her eyes, she looked back at him. "Maybe… you should try to do it too, nii-san."

They looked at each other for a moment before shifting their gaze once more to the ever fulfilling horizon. Sasuke closed his eyes, and did something he thought he would never do.

He remembered.

He remembered meeting Yuusuke, Bakusuke and Zennosuke and of their times together.

And then, he too, bore a small smile on his face.

* * *

"…so what is the distinction between spiritual power and chakra? The most popular theory is that they are only labels at how life force is cultivated. Every human being is born with a certain amount of life force and depending on how they are used on a day to day basis will determine what sort of 'label' you are using."

"Chakra is life force flowing back and forth from body cells and the soul, just like your blood vessels. However, for one to use this 'chakra', it is necessary to commune with one's inner gates. There are a total of eight chakra gates but most humans will ever be able to use up to the first one. By communing with the gates, we can cultivate this life force and use it as chakra."

"There are other ways to use life force. Another popular theory suggests that by drawing in the life force from other living things, we can be empowered with their soul energy. Interestingly enough, the term 'chi' is used as the label and it also happens to be the kanji for earth."

"So what about spiritual energy? How does it differ from life force? The single distinction would be the mortal coil. Although all human beings possess spiritual energy, the exerted force, which is spiritual pressure, will never be fully realized until they leave their earthly shell. That theory is not popular, since if one were to attempt to prove it, they'd most likely have to either have a nice, alcoholic drink and pill session or jump off Tokyo tower. I hear people die before they even hit the ground."

Laughter erupted from class. The teacher couldn't help but grin himself. He took a look at the clock and decided to conclude his class.

"And so, I will be handing you a project assignment. You must pick either chakra or chi and experiment by using any method you wish. You will have thirty-days to compile all of your data and submit no later. Failure to meet the deadline will require you to work on the spiritual pressure. I don't know how you'll be able to communicate from the beyond though…"

The class grew quiet and at that, the teacher laughed. "Wow, you guys actually believed that? You guys are really funny. All I'll be doing is deducting five percent for every day you're late."

Breaths of relief could be heard and few nervous chuckles as well. With a satisfying smirk, the teacher dismissed the class. As they made their way in, another familiar figure came in.

"Rosetta? Didn't expect you to come back so late." He said.

"Neither did I, Red. I'm seriously at the end of my rope here. It's been over a hundred years and the only 'master' I'm speaking with is but an annoying phantom proxy." She said.

"I know. But I only have you to rely on since you're the only one who possesses _that_ ability," The CEO said.

"Heh! You're just trying to get on my good side." Rosetta snorted, nose high in disdain.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that. Anyways, so what's the story?" He asked. The double agent divulged the information she gathered and at the end of her report, a heavy frown was on Redomaru's face.

"So it has finally started, huh?" He said in a grim tone.

"Yes. I can only hope Soul Society pulls through." Rosetta said.

"Not just them. What you told me about those other two roaming on earth doesn't sit well with me." Redomaru said.

"Don't worry about that yet. As much as they are independent in their thinking, they are still bound to the master." Rosetta reminded.

Redomaru sighed. "Fine. In any case, I have to go."

"Where?"

Redomaru picked up his jacket from his chair and pulled it on.

"To the place where Naruto is supposed to be."

* * *

_**2nd Division HQ**_

Sasuke entered the office of the 2nd Division's captain. He bowed formally to Soifon before speaking.

"I'm officially resigning my post as 3rd Seated-Officer and leaving the 2nd Division."

"I thought as much. I'm not going to hold it against you." She said, not looking up from her paperwork.

"Thank you." Sasuke said.

"Don't thank me. I was not the one who underwent a most difficult mission. It was I who pushed you to be—

"No, I was the one who let myself go that far. I did not cope with my grief so I became blinded by my hatred." Sasuke said.

Ran her slim fingers along her short hair. "You're lucky. Everyone in the Division is ready to support your decision. Good for you." She said in a flat tone.

"Captain… do you want me to leave?" He asked.

Soifon finally looked at him. "What?"

"I asked you if you wanted me to leave, Captain Soifon."

"Why are you asking me such a thing, Uchiha? I don't remember ever getting familiar with you!"

Sasuke nodded. "You didn't… but that hasn't stopped you from doing so."

"What was that?"

"I know that you came to visit me back when I was in a coma. Normally you would pass someone like that off as being weak, especially if they were one of your seated officers… but you didn't. You came to see me anyway."

"You're reading into it Uchiha." Soifon said as she stood up, her voice higher than before. "And I don't recall saying that I would put up with an interrogation either!"

Sasuke smirked. "I'm not interrogating you, Captain… I just want to know if you want me to go."

Soifon obviously did not like the smirk that he gave her by the way her eyes burned with annoyance. However, he couldn't help but like the reaction that she was giving him. He was seeing a side of her that he had always wanted to see from her but had been too focused on his vendetta to try to get out of her.

"I…" Soifon closed her eyes for a moment before turning away from him. "I-I don't care what you do anymore! Just leave! If you stay here in this Division, then it will only make things worse for you in the long run. If you stay with me… then I will only antagonize everything about you that I'm not."

Satisfied, Sasuke nodded before heading for the door. His hand stopped short of the handled and he turned his head back to his captain. "Captain?"

"What is it, Uchiha?"

"Thank you… for everything. No matter what anyone says about you, no matter what anyone says about how you run things and handle situation, I will always admire you the most… Soifon."

With that, Sasuke opened the door and left before he could hear any form of retort from the woman.

Soifon's face shifted from one of disbelief to flushed, embarrassed one.

"_Damned_ _baka._"

* * *

_It's been a while since we stepped into this new world. Nothing has really changed much. I guess no matter where someone is, it stays the same. That includes people laughing and crying, hating and suffering, living and dying._

_She called it, transcendence._

_I said, what the hell that is supposed to be. Of course, she smacked in the head for being an idiot. So I can't reason like him or her but I'm pretty observant._

_I guess I got my work cut out for me._

_I miss my home. I miss my brothers and sisters. I miss my grandmother and my uncle. I miss my father and I miss my cousins._

_We may not be family by blood but each and every single one of us would give up an arm and a leg to save one another. That's what I kept repeating as I hunched my zanpakuto over my shoulder. I guess even the spirit within my sword agrees._

_So there's times, I want to think, no matter where we are, no matter how far apart we are, even if I can't go back that, I will carry all their feelings with me and share them with the new faces I meet here. I want to share their dreams with them, I want to share their thoughts with but more than anything, I want to share their hearts with them. That way I can call them…_

_My Transcending Bonds._

_**Excerpt from the Tales of the Gallant Soul Reapers.**_

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _Fuck… can't believe that I've gotten this far. This is it, the beginning of where everything changes. Did I say that last chapter? _

_Well whatever, things are changing this time around. _

_With a decade left before Ichigo meets Rukia, I have a lot of things I can do before then. This will be interesting to say the least. _

_Oh yeah and one more thing: _

_WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY REVIEWS!? Last chapter should have at least gave me ten reviews I mean I really wanted them. I see the increase in hits, the increase in follows and favs but like no reviews save two! I mean I would really appreciate reviews here. _

_Or are you guys going to wait for a original chapter and then completely judge me? _

_... _

_Fuck you all. _

_Lmao._

_Til next time!_

_**Wolf's Honour**_


	28. The Prelude to Troubling Times

**Transcending Bonds**

**Summary:** What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

**Translation of Certain Terminology:**

**_Reiryoku_****: spiritual energy, power**

**_Reiatsu_****: spiritual pressure**

**_Reishi_****: spiritual particles.**

* * *

Snowflakes fell gently over Soul Society; it's absent, norse-cold winds mostly welcomed by all. It was hard to enjoy the immaculate, pure matter when subjected to freezing gales. Soul reapers were mostly able to keep up higher body temperatures by oozing out their soul energy but even that helped to a limited extent, not to mention it was quite wasteful. There was nothing worse than being low on energy and then being beckoned to fight a rogue soul reaper or a hollow.

Sasuke opted to do like any sensible Soul Reaper would do and bought an altered shihakusho, with a violet-blue sash worn around his waist and the kosode had the red and white uchida fan crest sewn up on the back. He could not care less anymore about the uniformity of one's clothing. Until he completely regained his memories, the Uchiha fan would remain from now on in all of his uniforms. If his superiors were against it, then he would simply point out all the other altered uniforms he had seen from the other Soul Reapers. Identity was important to him, no matter how dark or chaotic it portrayed.

On his way to the 10th Division HQ, he remembered some of the memories he had regained after the Lost Zero Incident, about something called the Chuunin Exams, a political contest where the various shinobi villages would participate as an attempt to evaluate the proficiency of their shinobi, as well as win the eye of merchants and nobles to hire them. During that physically and mentally demanding exams, a man of paralytic eyes, slithering viscous tongue and repulsive body movements had sunk his teeth into his neck, giving him a dark power of crisp, spasm-inducing pain and amplifying his dark desires. Between the powers stemming from that pain and his relentless rage from his mission of not too long ago, Sasuke knew there was but very little difference.

The raven haired soul reaper stopped at the main quarters of the tenth division. Unlike the coarsely mystic air his previous division stifled from unsuspecting new recruits, this seemed more at ease and deceptively calm and right was the Uchiha's first impression when the thunderous reprimand of young, male voice was heard through the wooden meshed windows.

"Matsumoto! Paperwork! NOW!"

"But Captaaaiiin…" The whiny plea said, coming from woman. "I just recovered from my hangover. I need to rest up a bit."

"I don't care! What kind of a vice-captain are you to shirk your duties so much that I have to spend my free time doing them for you?" The authoritative voice reprimanded.

A giggling snort came from the woman. "Hah hah, captain, you said doodies."

"MA-TSU-MO-TO!" The captain said, toning every syllable with dangerous ire.

"Fine…"

It was at this time that Sasuke carefully reviewed his transfer papers questioningly and then wondered perhaps, if perhaps it was a good idea to work here. Maybe his memories weren't worth the apparent hell that was waiting in there. Then again, if he did, the small but protruding question at the back of his head would never be answered. _I need to know how I got tattooed with the tenth division insignia. The 10__th__ Division might have some answers waiting for me._

Undaunted in his goal but hesitant in meeting his superiors, Sasuke made his way to the office. There, he introduced himself, waited for the permission to step in and then entered. His first line of vision was directed at the winter haired, teal eyed boy appearing soul reaper sitting the brown leather chair. The haori on his back removed the Uchiha's suspicion on the rank of the boy. If there was one thing Sasuke knew better than anyone was that appearances were deceiving in Soul Society. Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro might pass of as a pubescent middle school kid but Sasuke could bet anyone who tried pointing that fact out would be at the receiving end of the prodigy's blade faster than they could breathe.

His eyes quickly peered over to the voluptuous beauty that sat on the burgundy couch with a pout on her lips. With shimmering blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair and a lascivious body to boot, Sasuke was reminded of Lady Noh when he noticed the vice-captain armband on her left arm. Once again, the eccentricities of the soul reapers within the Seireitei would not fool the former third-seated officer of the 2nd Division.

"Uchiha Sasuke, huh?" Captain Hitsugaya said with an empty tone, skimming through the before mentioned papers. His eyes seemed to be sizing up and down the Uchiha with an apathetic look. Most would flinch or tense from the scrutinizing gaze but Sasuke remained impassive from the prejudiced examination.

"I'll be blunt with you: I don't really like you." The captain said. Sasuke did a mental drawback. He was clearly not expecting such a response and neither was the lieutenant.

"Eh? So soon, captain?" Matsumoto Rangiku said, as if she was half expecting it. "But you don't even know him."

Captain Hitsugaya sent a knowing look at Matsumoto. "Of course I do. It says it all here on his file: Uchiha Sasuke, Age Forty-Nine. Graduated with high honors from the Academy and served within the 2nd Division for over two years before being placed within the _Onmitsukido_ for a little over a year and being promoted to the third-seat of the Division and becoming the _Onmitsukido_ Corps Commander of the Special Detention Unit. Don't take it the wrong way, Uchiha. I don't have anything personal against you; in fact I am rather impressed with your accomplishments and that you managed to get Captain Soifon's recommendation, which is no small feat. I just have something against how you might potentially apply your previous work ethics in my Division."

The 10th Division captain took the silent response from the Uchiha as a sign to continue. "I heard that sometimes, in order to succeed at killing an enemy and finishing the mission, that_ Onmitsukido _operativeswould go as far as using their own comrades as cannon fodder, executing tactics and formations with extreme prejudice and expendability in mind. Is that true?"

"Yes." Sasuke answered. Although he never had to resort to such measures, he would not deny that he had seen such tactics used by many within the _Onmitsukido_ enough to leave a small, bitter taste in his mouth.

"Ah hum… so tell me, why would you leave your position as the third-seated officer in the 2nd Division to join my division without the promise of having the same power and seat that you had before?" Hitsugaya asked.

"I believe that there might be something or someone here tied to my past." Sasuke answered without missing a beat. "Not my past life in the World of the Living, but my past within Soul Society."

To say that the two other soul reapers were not somewhat astonished at the revelation would be a lie. The quirk of lips and eyes were not gone unnoticed by the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun?" Matsumoto called out, dropping her papers in shock. "Is that you?"

The Uchiha was undeniably interested in her reaction. "What do you mean by that?"

Matsumoto jumped from her chair and ran to Sasuke, wrapping him an accolade. "It is really you! I missed you! Where were you for the last thirty or so years?"

Sasuke could barely retort, his respiratory system compromised by the large breasts of the vice-captain stuffing his face. Sasuke pushed her away forcefully, gasping for hair.

"I don't know you!" He spat, gasping his last breath of air. The curvaceous woman was relentless in her little act.

"Of course you do silly! You used to do paperwork for me, remember? Look at that stack of papers: you know it's calling out to you." And then, Matsumoto flailed her arms in the air. "_Saaasuukke-kuuun, finish me or I will papercut you into sashiiimiiiii._" She added, her voice imitating that of a haunting ghost.

"Matsumoto!" Captain Hitsugaya snapped. "You finish those papers now or I'll blacklist you in every bar known in Seireitei!"

Before any of the two male soul reapers could blink, Matsumoto was back on the couch with a crunched up serious gaze, the speed of her penmanship drawing a tiny agape mouth from the captain. Knowing Hitsugaya's luck, the threat would probably work only two or three more times before it'd lose its appeal.

"Ahem. Where were we?" Hitsugaya recommenced the interview, earning a silent groan from the amnesiac. From what he had been told, his previous standing was supposed to get him a free ticket at any seat ranging from the eighth to the fifth, exempting him from personal interviews and assessment. He should've known that things wouldn't go so smoothly.

"So, you're here because you think you'll get your memory back if you work here? Fine, I don't care. I just want to know if that involves stabbing your fellow soul reaper in the back."

"No." Sasuke replied curtly.

"Good. Because if that happens, death by mammary suffocation won't be your only worry." Hitsugaya warned coolly. "I have one last question. If you're seeking your memories, why are you so sure that it's in this division you're going to find your answers. For all we know, it might be in the 4th, or the 11th you're going to find clues."

"I have to start somewhere. I recently found out that I was given a limiter at some point with the 10th Division as the emblem." Sasuke informed, causing the shorter male to arch up an eyebrow.

"Really? That thing is usually given to the fifth-seat or higher soul reapers… I take it you'll be going through the records to find out?"

"With your permission, of course."

"Then why didn't you do it when you were back in the _Onmitsukido_. I thought those guys had intel on everything." Matsumoto pointed out.

"That's because we specialize in general information on Soul Reapers." Sasuke informed. "Some parts of that information might be restricted. For example, Vice-Captain Matsumoto is a soul reaper who completed the training in the spiritual academy in five years. She excels at zanjutsu and foot movement and is fairly adept at kidō and hakuda. Her height is at five foot nine and her weight stands at—

"Okay, too much information!" Matsumoto cried out, a faint, reddish color shading her cheeks. "No one needs to know about my weight, okay? And besides, that sort of stuff changes all the time, right?"

Sasuke threw her a knowing look. "The information I just shared with you was updated three days ago."

If one observed very carefully, they would've seen a slight smirk creep up on Hitsugaya's lips. Unfortunately for him, Sasuke was one to catch those little moments and decided to act up on it. "Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro, graduated from the academy in three years, excels in all form of combat and is the youngest soul reaper to have achieved bankai. Captain Hitsugaya has a knack for attempting to increase his overall height by taking frequent naps whenever possible as well as ordering large supplies of canned milk from two different farms in the western regions of the Rukon districts, so much so that his division funds are starting to approach the red zone…"

Matsumoto was the first one to roll off the couch, laughing out loud while holding her sides. Hitsugaya sent an infernal glare at the Uchiha, to which the latter looked away in an innocent manner. The murderous gaze then shifted uselessly to his adjutant, as she was still laughing exuberantly on the floor.

"Uchiha Sasuke, was it?" The bodacious woman said between laughter. "I like him. Can we keep him, please?"

If Hitsugaya could, he'd wipe the invisible smirk on Sasuke's face with a good kidō but doing that would make earn him a one-way ticket to imprisonment.

"You'll be replacing our fourth seated officer who retired due to long standing illness. You'll be in charge of the treasury and inventory, as well as the Patrol Unit within the division. Paperwork is expected to be completed _on time_. Matsumoto will show you your room." Hitsugaya said quickly. Sasuke could've sword that the white-haired Soul Reaper's eyebrows were getting narrower by the second. Matsumoto clasped Sasuke's hand and led him away before the short captain could blow a fuse.

"So, is it really true what you said about the captain?"

"All except for the red zone."

Matsumoto giggled with a snort.

So much for first impressions.

* * *

As time passed, Sasuke proved to be an asset for the 10th Division, as he always proved himself to be in the 2nd Division. Upon taking command of the Patrol Unit, he carefully took note of each Soul Reaper's strength and weaknesses under his command, and worked out a drilling schedule, as well as physical training courses for those who needed it to compensate and area in which they lacked strength. His training doctrine improved the livelihoods of Soul Reapers in Hakuda combat, and his stressing upon teamwork between Soul Reapers was unfounded in most divisions in the Gotei Thirteen, as well as his excellent knowledge in zankensoki. Sasuke was strict, he was stoic, he was even cynical at times, but above all of that he was efficient.

His work did not go unnoticed by the 10th Division captain. Toushiro had been relatively surprised by the Uchiha's efficiency and his encouragement toward teamwork, but had approved nonetheless, giving firm nods of appreciation to the Uchiha and how he had balanced the Division's funding in order of units that needed it and creating a safety coffer in the unlikely event that funding was cut. What's more, Sasuke was very thorough with his paperwork, going as far as staying up late to finish up the previous paperwork left by his predecessor. His neatly stacked, filled out papers as well as suggestions and mentions of discrepancy in division funds were very welcomed by Hitsugaya, more so due to the fact that some of the funds which had been mysteriously been missing was due to Matsumoto pulling from the 10th Division's coffer for her… social nights as she called them. Toushiro increased her workload to compensate for tabs she had built up and in turn, this allowed less annoying interactions between her and Sasuke.

There was a God after all.

His zanpakutou held firmly in his right hand, Sasuke stood in the frosty air, free hand brought to his chest with index and middle fingers shot upward, eyes closed in spiritual focus, feet rigid in uncompromised stance, breaths grasping at the hard felt spiritual particles and heartbeat slowed down in mental resonance.

_**Self-preservation is the key to one's survival in this cold, harsh world we call a utopia. All manners of life forms adhere to this single ideal, no matter who they are..**_

_**Peace is the ambivalent effort created by all living creatures.**_

_**Sasuke, what do you see beyond your blade?**_

There was a sound of air being cut. Sasuke looked at the stainless steel and gave a self deprecating smirk to himself. The snowflake he had intended to cut had simply become a droplet of water that ran along the edged sword. In many ways, that snowflake was like the walls in his mind that Sasuke could not tear down with his fists or cut with his sword. The walls of uncertainty of his path, the walls of his shrouded past and the walls his naivety.

Nobunaga might have been portrayed as an evil, demonic lord but his desires were noble. Misguided, but noble. There had to be a better way to achieve peace, even if it was temporary. A way that people could come to an understanding despite their differences and ideals but how one was supposed to achieve something so paramount?

Not only that, but there was a lingering amount of annoyance as well. After Captain Hitsugaya had gone through the main archives of the 10th Division but found no trace of information about Sasuke, he had requested access to the restricted archives of the 10th Division and subsequently, restricted access to the general archives of the Sereitei. Captain Hitsugaya had told him that he could see to his request but it would remain pending list of approval by the Commander-General.

He was patient. Although he had had to relearn it, Sasuke could admit that he was a patient individual. However, the pending from the Commander-General left him uncertain. He felt that the head of the Gotei Thirteen was hiding something from him, information about him and his past with Soul Society. Even though he had said that he was not Uchiha Sasuke, there was only one of him, which meant that he and the captains that were present when he was brought before the old Soul Reaper _knew_ something.

Deep within his heart, he wished for guidance, from someone who was plagued with his worries.

Sasuke looked to his zanpakutou, eyeing the chokuto intently.

Ever since he had awoken form his coma, Sasuke had been able to bring out his zanpakutou's shikai and he remembered bits and pieces of its abilities. However, Byakuraiju had gone silent. He could not hear his zanpakutou spirit's voice, or feel his presence. He had not even been able to access his own inner world to see what was wrong.

'_Byakuraiju… I remembered your name… so why will you not speak to me now?'_

_PAFF!_

Sasuke felt the cold, light weight of snowball sticking to the back of his hair. He turned around and found the 10th Division's bombshell with a mischievous smirk directed at him, the slush dripping through her slender fingers.

"Come on Sasuke-kun, let's play!" She offered to the fourth seated officer.

"No." The Uchiha replied briskly. Matsumoto grimaced.

"All work and no play make Sasuke-kun a very pretty dull boy." Matsumoto said in a sing song voice. Sasuke sighed. Two weeks had passed since his entry into the division and he was up to his neck with the woman's shenanigans. He could not care less about her drinking, procrastinating and partying tendencies but she always found a way to drag him into it, one way or another. Couldn't she do her business elsewhere?

"Vice-captain, I'm not interested in playing. Please get someone else. I'm busy." Sasuke said, showing his back. He was just about to enter his meditating zone when he felt another snowball smack right in his back. If he didn't know any better, she was probably sent by god to piss the world—namely his—off.

"Come on, _boya_. Show me what you got!" She said, balling up another snowball. Sasuke stared at her with a quizzical look. Were all vice-captains this lazy? At least Omaeda had the decency to simply fire angry imaginary laser beams from his eyes when he met Sasuke time to time but Matsumoto Rangiku seemingly just loved unnerving him. Between her and Urahara, the differences were very slim. In fact, only the sake drinking sessions seemed to separate their personalities.

Sasuke walked past her but did not forget to remind her of an important demand. "Just leave me alone."

He felt a small amount of satisfaction when he heard the snowball plump on the slush white ground.

* * *

The beginning of spring came soon enough and with it, the time to recruit prospects at the academy as well. It was the traditional responsibility of the 10th Division's fourth seated officer to scout out potential recruits to the division and no matter how menial it appeared it was a responsibility of great importance to the continued success and future of the division.

Which was why Sasuke was standing with a small look of displeasure on his face before Captain Hitsugaya in his office.

"Hn?"

"I said that Matsumoto is going to go with you." Captain Hitsugaya repeated.

Sasuke's frown grew. ""But I can do this on my own."

"I know you can. I just want her to leave me alone."

"But captain—

"This wasn't a request, Uchiha." Captain Hitsugaya said, using his authoritive tone of voice. "It's an order."

Lately, Sasuke couldn't help but relate how every discussion concerning any outing went between him and his captain. If he had to leave the division, Hitsugaya made him go with the vice-captain. The fourth seated officer began to think that maybe, just maybe, the captain was beginning to exploit the fact that Matsumoto loved to annoy the raven haired soul reaper. It had actually started when she claimed that Sasuke and Hitsugaya were very much alike and that it was her duty to melt the ice off the duo with fun and since Sasuke was their subordinate, Hitsugaya made sure to redirect any incoming annoyances—_read Rangiku_—to Sasuke.

"Yawn… so early. We should've done this way later." The strawberry blonde said in yawns. Sasuke ignored her and continued his brisk pace, occasionally leaving behind his superior.

"Not so fast, Sasuke-kun. Jeez, you walk like you have ants in your pants. Or is it maybe you have someone you already have your sights on?"

Sasuke wouldn't lie. He had already been scouting potential recruits two weeks prior, even sending a man or two to do early scouting for him and calling on instructors in the Academy for information and had found some potential candidates. However he continued to disregard her jests, increasing his paces two-fold. He suddenly found himself putting a halt in his tracks when Matsumoto's figure preceded him.

"Hey you…why are you so grouchy all the time? Oh, and don't ignore me this time. I'm ordering you to answer me." She said

"If that's the case, I don't have to answer you, vice-captain." Sasuke said calmly. "I do not have to answer questions that do not pertain to soul reaper protocols nor—

"Cut the bullshit, Uchiha. I know those protocols way better than you think you do. For instance, I can take your backtalk as a sign of insubordination and have you incarcerated for up to five days with disciplinary measures. That can't look good for your record. So, you either remove that stick you got shoved way deep in your ass or I'll do it for you. Painfully."

Sasuke was not in the least intimidated by the declaration of his superior but he would admit that this was the first time he saw her serious towards him. He cleared his throat and decided to answer her question.

"I'm not grouchy. That's just how I am. I'm not interested in having fun. I'm not interested in partying. I'm not interested in drinking. I'm just interested at doing what I need to do." Sasuke said.

The stern expression on Rangiku's face was soon replaced with another one that pierced through the hardened defenses of the Uchiha's heart. It was a look of pity and resigned sadness.

"I see. Sorry." She said curtly before turning on her heel and walked towards the academy.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel somewhat shaken up by the look that she had given him, as if his existence seemed… devoid of life. It frustrated him, believing that she thought of him like that.

'_Whatever. At least she'll leave you alone now.' _He told himself mentally before continuing his trek to the academy.

* * *

_**Soul Reaper Academy **_

The learning institution was the same as ever, if not, more crowded than usual. The sharp contrasts between white, red hemmed hakama and black ones could be clearly seen, partitioned all over campus. Sasuke and Rangiku headed for the admission office, and then they were directed to the new graduates, located in the auditorium.

"Oh wow, they really are green, eh Sasuke-kun?" The strawberry blonde teased.

"Hn."

Representatives of each of the divisions of the Gotei 13 filed in and soon enough, the auditorium was filled. The Uchiha also caught a familiar face from the _Onmitsukido, _Eikichiro Saido, who had at one served beneath him before the Uchiha's undercover mission.

Saido took noticed of him and nodded his way. "Uchiha-san."

Sasuke returned the gesture before returning his attention back to the crowd. From ascending order, a representative of each division would walk up to the podium and give a verbal, heartfelt description of his or her division. Sasuke did not show it but he was nervous. Of course, he didn't have stage fright or anything; he was simply worried about what Matsumoto was going to say. He prayed that she wasn't going to embarrass the division or say something incredibly stupid that would jeopardize the lure he had set for the candidates he had had his eyes on.

After nearly over half an hour, it was their turn to present themselves. Matsumoto took stepped forward toward the podium, with Sasuke not a step behind her.

"Ahem, my name is Matsumoto Rangiku, Vice-captain of the 10th Division under the command of Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro. Beside me is our fourth seated officer, Uchiha Sasuke. I'm not going to bother you with the details as to what our division specializes in, as I am sure all of you know if you've graduated, but I will say this: what you all have heard about the 10th Division is true. We value our comrades more than we value our own lives and we always put the lives of others ahead of our own desires. So don't bring your silly bushido to us, don't bring your arrogance and stand alone complex ass to us and certainly don't bring your ridiculous notion that you determine the outcome attitude either. Bring your pride, but don't let it go to your head. Bring your problems but don't let it kill off the best of you that's within. Bring your strength but share it with everyone because we, at the 10th Division, value the bonds of loyalty and prioritize others above all else. So when you're cornered in the battlefield, when you're on your last peg of energy, when you feel you no longer have any strength left to fight for yourself, raise your chin and look beside you and we will be there, standing beside you and not going anywhere. Thank you."

As she turned away from the crowd, Sasuke couldn't help but feel taken aback. He had never seen her, in all there time together in winter, look… her part as his vice-captain before. He had never seen such dignity, such passion or sense of duty in her before. It left him with a newfound impression of her, leaving her in a new light and he was seriously astonished at how she had addressed the candidates in such a manner. He wondered why she didn't act like this all the time… but for some strange reason, the back of his mind kept telling him that she wouldn't be her if she did.

As they went back to their place with the other representatives, Sasuke looked to his vice-captain.

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto."

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"I… I'm sorry… about before. "

Matsumoto stared at him for a long moment before she snickered and patted him on the shoulder. "Its okay, Sasuke-kun… just take me to my favorite sake stand after this and we'll call it even, kay?"

As she watched her leave the auditorium, Sasuke felt a small smirk form on his face.

* * *

"So, how many are going to join us today?" Rangiku asked with hopeful eyes as he returned from the academy main building.

"…Only one." Sasuke answered blatantly.

"Eh? But I worked on that speech on my way here. I thought for sure we'd get like, a hundred new recruits." The vice-captain whined. "Tch, there goes my plan of passing off all my paperwork to them." Rangiku muttered beneath her breath.

Sasuke sighed, waiting patiently for the new recruit to come and join them at the gates of the academy. He wasn't happy about the number either but apparently his potential candidates had been taken in by Eikichiro and representatives of the 3rd, 6th, and 13th Divisions. Another day, he told himself before taken in the sights of the academy and the students all around. It was with a wave of nostalgia and remorse he remembered the days of when he shunned everyone around him. Yuusuke was one of those people yet he still tried to befriend him. In a way, he could relate his vice-captain to his late blood brother. Maybe all she was trying to do was just be friendly and establish the bond which she had mentioned in her address to the graduates.

…Sometimes a little too friendly for his tastes.

"Um, sorry for making you wait!" A panting voice said.

Sasuke broke out of his reverie and gave his attention to the owner of the voice. She stopped in front of Rangiku and the Uchiha took in her features: long, dark blue, bouncy hair, appearing to be over fifteen years of age, vast, soft blue eyes, smooth alabaster skin and small, rosy lips. Her height body was as petite as Rukia's, only she appeared to be an inch or two taller. Other than that nothing else seemed to stand out about her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She looked up at Matsumoto, putting up a smile even though she was flustered. "I was late for the graduation recruitment and my councilor only told me that I was assigned to … the…" She began to mumble as her eyes were drawn to Sasuke. They widened ever so slightly and then, out of nowhere, she ran up and hugged the Uchiha.

"Ooh, I don't think you want to do that." Rangiku said, almost giggling at how alien the fifth seated officer must've felt. "He's not a very huggy person."

"W-What she said." Sasuke reiterated nervously. The girl removed herself, albeit slowly and kept giving Sasuke beady eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry but…" Tears began to fall from her eyes, wiping them as they fell. "I can't help it. It feels like a dream and I'm afraid that I'll wake up and—

"Calm down, girl. Just take a deep breath." Matsumoto said in reassurance.

"I'm sorry. It's just… it's just I never thought I'd ever see you again…"

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.

This was it… a person who actually recognized him. Someone who actually knew who he was and the emotions he could feel coming from the girl were genuine. He became stricken for a moment, unable to recall her at all and the words from his blood brother flared warning bells in his head.

_The person or people you forgot would cry if they ever meet you._

Sasuke didn't know what to say or do to comfort the girl. His physical attempts looked like awkward, robotic gestures so he tried to talk to her. "I'm sorry… I don't remember you."

The girl stopped sobbing for a moment. She gently took hold of Sasuke's hand and brought it to her face, getting an even more gauche reaction from the Uchiha. Matsumoto felt like she was actually witnessing a live, soap drama and the climax of a possible romantic relationship had her biting her lips in anticipation.

"It's okay. I know as a Soul Reaper, you must've saved countless of souls so you might not remember me but I do. I remember that rainy, cold night when you saved me from that Hollow. I'll never forget your hair, the uchida fan on your kimono or those scarlet eyes… by the way what happened to them?"

"I… uh… what?" Sasuke mumbled in confusion. Matsumoto's anticipation was diffused by the girl's question.

"It would help if you gave your name." Rangiku offered. The girl propped her head up in surprise and then bowed apologetically many times.

"My apologies. I'm Katsuragi Ayumi. I always held you in admiration so I thought for sure by giving a description around school, maybe I'd be able to find you but it's hard to do so when one has no name to go by…"

"So then, you don't really know me?" Sasuke asked to make sure.

"Um… I don't know your name so…" Ayumi said, feeling apologetic once again. "My councilor assigned me to the division with the least applicants since I was late so…"

With a depressed sigh, the male soul reaper decided to enlighten the girl.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, fourth seated officer of the 10th Division." And with that, he turned around and began to head back to the division with Rangiku in tow. With a dazed flushed look on her face, Ayumi decided to follow them, almost skipping in her steps.

* * *

_**Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute**_

The test tubes bubbled in sequence, perfecting the rhythmic hum of machines and clacks of keyboards that could be heard just as well as a pin dropping in pool of silence. White, lab coated scientists worked on monitoring various experimental theses, others noted down the readings from the collaborated monitoring of reiatsu readings on earth. Today's highlight, as it was for the past several weeks, was the finalizing the inclusion of automatic firearm plant systems surrounding Lost Zero, decreasing trespassing rates by twenty percent.

"I'll be retiring for the night. Akon, I'll leave the rest up to you." Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri of the 12th Division said, completing the dissection of Hollow specimen.

"Yes sir." Akon said. If there was anything better than his job at the 12th Division, it'd be the absence of everyone's pitter patter during his scheduled hours, completely replaced by the clear sounds of the machines and the bubbling tank tubes.

"Nemu, are you done with the data compilation?" The scientist queried.

"My apologies Mayuri-sama. I still have at least an hour to go before I'm finished." The vice captain answered. Mayuri groaned heavily in discontent.

"For the love of—gah! Sometimes, you are truly peerless in your ineffectiveness. Akon, please make sure my useless daughter finishes before she goes to sleep."

"Uh, yes sir." The triple, small horned man said, unsure if he could convince the aloof vice-captain to do anything. He paid no heed and resumed his work, throwing questionable glances at the single, dark braided haired woman. Not that he was interested in her but Akon was a man and men were not immune to women wearing kosode as mini-skirts, especially when it revealed too much… leg for one scientist's taste.

One by one, Mayuri's lackeys left the lab, retiring to their personal quarters. Akon was just about to finish up on his latest test results when he took a shot at the clock.

"Man, it's already one in the morning. I bet Vice-captain Nemu already went to—urk!"

Perhaps the rhythmic sounds of machine and bubbling test tubes had put Akon's ears in a trance but he had been completely unaware of the keyboard clicks made by the vice-captain.

"Vice-captain Nemu? What are you still doing here? You haven't finished the data compilation yet?" He asked, really astonished as to why the lady couldn't even finish such a relatively easy task.

"We've been hacked." She replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh okay, I thought it was—what the hell?! We've been hacked? When, how?" Akon yelled, taken by surprise.

"About four hours ago. The intruder has infiltrated our mainframe by applying untraceable backdoor programs to imitate our firewall system." Nemu replied, expressionless as ever.

"That can't be right!" Akon interjected. "This computer has been specifically redesigned and rewritten personally by Captain Kurotsuchi! There's no way it can be hacked."

"This is precisely why I am counterattacking our cyber intruder. I would prefer if Mayuri-sama remained unaware to this dilemma." Nemu informed. It just hit Akon that perhaps the reason she was taking so long to finish her task was because she had never been working on it in the first place. She had probably been countering the cyber intruder the entire time and knowing his captain, Mayuri would of blown more than a fuse if he ever found out his personal, customized system was hacked.

Heads would be rolling and then most likely put into his collection of organ jars.

"We have a new problem." Nemu stated.

"What is it now?" Akon queried, a bead of sweat falling from his temple.

"Three intruders have entered the Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute… without activating the sentries or the alarms." Nemu said with a hint of anger in her tone of voice.

This display of emotion surprised Akon, since he had never seen the woman show any form of emotion before. However what was even more surprising was the fact that there were three intruders, three, inside R&D. No one entered the captain's lab as they saw fit. Heck, even the commander general would've at least activated one of the alarms, or at least a sentry would have given them notice.

"Something isn't right here," Akon thought aloud as he rubbed his temples to ease the headache that was coming over him.

"Do not fret. I will personally handle the intruders." Nemu said to him.

"W-Wait a second, Vice-Captain Nemu! What about the –"

"Do not worry, I have brought up a firewall to keep the bots at bay. Once I go, discreetly have a small squad come up here and then continue where I left off. Remember, Mayuri-sama must not know about this. At all." Nemu ordered.

Akon was at loss of words but he swallowed hard and did as he was told as soon as Mayuri's daughter left the room, going to the intercom and calling up a squad.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

_**10th Division Barracks**_

Sasuke sat on the rooftop of the main quarters, unable to sleep. The moon was radiant tonight, its lustrous shine bathing most of Sereitei in its moonlight. It was on those quiet, cool nights Sasuke remembered the brotherhood ceremony. He wasn't as grief stricken as before but finding himself reminiscing a lot about his halcyon days with his blood brother.

"That's where you are." Ayumi's voice said behind him. She sat down hurriedly with a big, toothy grin on her face. Sasuke sighed. He had to pick a new lonely island spot. "Am I bothering you?"

_And the award to the most understated question of the year goes to…_

"No." Sasuke replied.

"Oh, okay."

After that, Ayumi did not make a sound, nor did any brusque movements. Instead, she watched the full moon in silent wonder, just like the other observer. Sasuke was curious as to why the earlier outspoken soul reaper remained quiet but he welcomed the decency to allow him to ponder his thoughts. Ironically enough, the thoughts floated towards dark, blue haired girl. She had truly put him on edge when they first met, her saddened face full of apparent recognition of the amnesiac. Alas, it was only the remembrance of a rainy night, which truthfully Sasuke did not remember at all.

"I honestly don't remember you." He voiced his thought out loud. Ayumi cocked her head down for a moment and then lifted it up with a cheerful smile.

"It's okay. I'm just happy I do. I heard that once you crossover to the afterlife, you memories become fuzzy and you don't remember much at all. I'm just happy I'm an exception and that I got to meet you." She said. Sasuke did not know how to feel about that, especially when he was sure he was bound to disappoint her with his past actions.

If she ever found out, that is.

"How long ago was that?" Sasuke asked, just to make sure.

"Um, about seven years I think. I know I spent a year in one of the Rukon districts then some shinigami came and gauged that I had enough spiritual energy to be accepted into the academy. Took me six years to finish it." Ayumi answered.

"I see." Sasuke worded. Six years was a norm for those with only low spiritual power.

"Um, can I ask you something?" Ayumi prompted, parting a bang to the side of her head. When Sasuke nodded, she went on with her question. "Your eyes are different from before. Why?"

'_My eyes are different from… oh.'_

"You mean this?" He said, his pupils becoming the blood colored, _tomoe_ ringlets. The newly graduate let out a small gasp and instantly, Sasuke deactivated his bloodline limit. "You'll be seeing a lot of that in battle. Get used to it."

"Huh?" Katsuragi said.

"I'm having you transferred to my unit. As of tomorrow, you'll be my subordinate and a member of the 10th Division's Patrol Corps." Sasuke stated, throwing the female soul reaper into a state of panic.

"W-W-What? But wait a sec, I thought I was supposed to start at the bottom and um work my way up. Besides, I'm not umm… I'm not that experienced y'know and—

"I wasn't requesting it." Sasuke said, standing up and looking down to her. "You're joining my unit, with or without your consent."

Sasuke dropped down from the roof and headed for his room. He didn't know why but he had this sudden need to keep an eye over her at all times.

* * *

_**Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute**__, __**Basement Level Three**_

Nemu strafed from the corner of a metallic wall, prodding cautiously and slowly an eye out. With no one in sight, she zipped past an open, clear space and moved on to a pillar. She could feel it, the strange, radical reiatsu that pervaded the dimly lighted room. It bothered her immensely that someone could actually have made it in this part of the 12th Division without triggering the alarm and it bothered her even more that it had to be this particular area the intruders had gone in.

Basement Level Three, also known as the Forbidden Data Archives: In this level, only a select few had access this far down in R&D, that being her father Mayuri, Akon and herself included. In fact, anything from the second to the fifth level was forbidden to anyone without proper access, the last level restricted only to the captain himself.

Yet, here these… creatures were, having the very gall to walk down here as if it was their right to do so. Kurotsuchi Nemu would show the intruders that even she could become just as cruel and merciless as her surrogate father.

Before Nemu could round the corner at the end of the corridor, she heard voices, echoing just up ahead.

"… certain that it is here?" one voice, a male one, spoke. "I'm taking a large gamble coming with you like this."

"Do not worry," another male voice said this one more quiet and reserved with an accent she had not ever heard before. "The information is here."

"How can you be so certain?" the first voice asked. Nemu kept close to the wall and listened intently.

"I just am." The voice with the accent responded. "Once we get the information, we will then be able to help you soon. Otherwise you stand no chance of bringing down the frozen skies on your own."

"I have been preparing for this for quite awhile now," the first voice said. "Your aid will only hasten my plan."

The other chuckled. "But of course."

Nemu got as close to the edge of the wall as she could, peering over the edge. She saw three dark bodies of up ahead in the very dimly lit hall. She couldn't make them out very well from where she stood. She counted three of them, however, and she could sense little to any spiritual pressure being emanated from their persons. Was that how they had managed to bypass the sentries on duty and not trigger the alarm? And what information could they possibly be searching for?

"Although I shall admit I was quite surprised by how weak this division's captain was," the voice with the accent said. "He was felled in hardly anytime at all."

Nemu's eyes widened. Were they talking about her…

"He was a fool to believe that no one could touch him here in his own domain," a third voice, stoic and dark, spoke. "The shadows consume all that they touch."

"Seeing Kurotsuchi in that state will send a clear message to the Gotei Thirteen." The accented voice said. "And soon there will… it appears we have company."

Nemu came out from the corner, drawing her zanpakutou from its scabbard and had it in a ready position. "I am Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi Nemu of the 12th Division. You will identify yourselves at once!"

Nemu saw the figure on the left draw a blade and whisper a phrase. She gasped as she was suddenly blinded by a flash of light. It left her disoriented and unable to comprehend what was around her. She heard something whiz by and she immediately went into a readied stance with her zanpakutou. She needed to counter whatever was coming and regain her sight before–

She felt a hard elbow go into her abdomen; she blanched, letting go of her zanpakutou in the process of gasping for air. A gloved, slender hand grabbed her by the throat and she felt her back slam against the cold wall. Both of her hands went up and around the wrist of the hand that held her up against the wall, her feet struggling to touch the ground beneath her.

"Shh…" The one who was pinning her to the wall spoke. She struggled to free herself but to no avail, as the hand around her throat tightened.

"What… did you do… to… Captain Kurotsuchi?" she gasped between breathes, as she was able to make out shapes with her eyes.

"A shadow does not tell." The man who held her said.

"Kill her and be done with it," The first voice said to him. "We do not have time to waste."

"No." the accented voice suddenly said. "We'll take her with us."

"But…"

Nemu saw the shape of a tall man came beside her and cupped her cheek with his hand. She struggled to focus her sight on him.

"She… interests me."

"But D-"

"She. Interests. Me."

There was a pause.

"…Then we shall take her with us than."

A fist instantly connected into her abdomen, the rush of pain falling over her in a matter of milliseconds. With no strength to even stand up, she thought she was going to fall when she felt the hand around her neck let her go. However, instead of falling forward to the floor, she was caught in the thin, but strong arms of the man she was trying to make out.

He held her against his chest as he picked her up bridal style. "Be still… and sleep."

She began to slip into a black fade. However, at the last second her eye sight returned to her enough to make out the image of a black _**'D4'**_ on the pale man's cheek. It was the last thing Nemu saw before she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ayumi shivered from the cold winds stemming from the all time low temperatures coursing through Soul Society. She rubbed her forearms and berated herself mentally for forgetting to wear proper apparel. The others seemed to be completely immune to it, though it might have been because they were properly equipped. She sniffed and instantly regretted it when she felt bone chilling air crisping her lungs. The calf steep snow that had covered the plains had not helped either. That and her complete lack of reishi control, which forced her to walk through the snow, unlike her comrades who stepped on it.

"Uchiha sir, I don't see any Hollows."

"Hn."

She sighed in exasperation. It had been three hours already and there was no sign of any Hollow. She was starting to crop up ideas about her idol and the possibility that he was either a perfectionist, a glory hog or someone who just wanted to cut down a Hollow no matter how benign their presence was. What was even more annoying was that even though spring had just started, this expanse of the Rukon district was the only one still subject to winter's wrath.

"Prepare yourselves." Sasuke ordered. The thirty Soul Reapers at his disposal either drew their zanpakuto or took a unarmed Hakuda stance. Ayumi was startled at the sudden order, confused as to why he had even—

"Oh!"

It came in the form of brief earthquake and then dug up holes appeared, with worm-like Hollows sprawling forth. Their attack came fast, their nimble bodies allowing them to offset the Soul Reapers's initial attack with relative ease, with their sharp, multiform legs.

"Assault Squads scatter and assume triad formations. Kidō Squads split into offensive and defensive groups and support the assault squads. Go!"

Ayumi was flabbergasted at how the members of the Patrol Corps unit moved. It was completely unlike the academy, where everyone ran in panic and/or froze up in training sessions with Hollow dummies, or even the real thing. There were about six or more, large sized Hollows but it fascinated her at how they quickly split up and surrounded them. It didn't take long before all of these hollows were afflicted with Bakudō spells, allowing the other groups to carry on with their physical attacks. In the space of only five minutes, the Hollows we're gone, their only remains being a temporary cloud of dissolved ashes.

Still, what annoyed her was how Sasuke just stood there in the rear with his arms crossed. He didn't even bother joining the fight or even lifted up a finger to help the wounded. True, after the formations were complete, those who offered support quickly rounded up the few wounded and healed them up but still…

Deep down, she was looking forward to his bravado, in the same way he had done on that rainy night.

"Good work, all of you." Sasuke said with a nod, before recommencing the patrol. Ayumi crinkled an eyebrow.

"Um, Uchiha sir?" she called out.

"What is it?"

"Um, I don't mean to offend you or anything and I'm sorry that I—

"Don't worry. After figuring out your place I'll properly drill the formations into you." Sasuke said, not letting up in his steps.

"Erm, that's not what I was asking about. I mean, I'm really thankful that you will but shouldn't we go back and rest up? I mean, um—

"The purpose of the Tenth Division's Patrol Corps is not just simply eliminating Hollows when we stumbled upon them." Sasukes began, sharply cutting her off. "It's to prevent their accessibility to other souls here in the Sereitei. Take this for example."

Sasuke's unit stopped abruptly in the middle of nowhere. The 4th Seated officer took three steps forward and unsheathed his zanpakutou. Ayumi wondered what was going on and tried sensing anything out of the ordinary but alas, her sensing spiritual energy was one of her weak points. Still, her eyes remained fixated on the sword and then on the _jigokuchou_—the hell butterfly—that hovered over the 4th seated officer's shoulder.

"Seal!"

Sasuke appeared like he had just stabbed nothingness but that same empty space revealed black cracks that closed up neatly as if they had never appeared in the first place.

"The result of Hollows using the garganta in the same area over a certain period of time creates spatial fragments. Those fragments over time accumulate into a waypoint for other Hollows. If they're not taken care of, we can have Gillian-class Hollows coming through those cracked spaces."

And that's when Ayumi understood why Sasuke was painstakingly covering ground for his patrol. His intentions had never been centered over what she thought. They had always been into preventing attacks. Plus, the way he had the undivided attention of his subordinates and their ability to overthrow such large Hollows with relative ease through coordinated attacks suggested that he was big on teamwork, which was strange, considering that she always had the impression that all divisions were pretty much non-cohesive and everyone fought their battles alone.

"If you think anyone needs a rest, you're welcome to get that person back to the 10th Division's Medical Barracks." Sasuke said. Ayumi eyed her comrades, who all in return gave her serious looks.

"No, none at all." She said a little too quickly.

"Good. Let us continue then."

Ayumi groaned as she dragged her feet through the snow.

* * *

When Sasuke returned to the division and entered the main quarters, he was surprised to see the absence of his captain. Surprise was not the correct choice of terms but since Hitsugaya Toushiro always seemed like he made his habitat on the leather swivel chair, it was strange not to see him there.

It was even stranger to see Matsumoto sitting on the couch with paperwork in front of her. However, on closer inspection, he could see she was wearing night blinds and thus, the strange feeling he was getting from the office was somewhat absolved.

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto," Sasuke called out in attempt to wake her with no avail. "Vice-Captain Matsumoto!"

_Zzzz….Zzzz…ZZz-snort-Zzzz…_

Sasuke sighed. There was no point in trying in waking up her up. '_Why bother faking work when you're not going to do it anyway?_'

He walked towards a closet and opened it, taking out a thick sheet. He went back to the vice-captain and laid her down gently on the couch. Before covering her up with the sheet, he found himself staring intently at her body, moreover to her loosened kosode. How could she wear something in such a shameless manner? Did she not know how dangerous it was to lie so…indolently with the threat of her…physical assets baring out in the open.

Sasuke swallowed hard and then quickly covered her up. As if the uncomfortable moment wasn't bad enough, Ayumi burst into the room.

"We have trouble!" She nearly screamed. Matsumoto could add another record in her sleeping manners: her inability to wake up even if the apocalypse appeared.

"W-What is it?" Sasuke asked. Ayumi was about to answer but something didn't feel quite right, like, for instance the way Sasuke stammered which he rarely did, the slight strand of red painting his nose or how close he was the vice-captain.

"Um, what are you doing so close to Vice-Captain Matsumoto?"

Sasuke cleared his throat at an attempt to recompose himself. "I'm only covering her up because it's cold outside and it would prove to be fatal if our vice-captain caught a cold."

Ayumi's face deadpanned. "Uh-huh… even though the heating thermostat has been turned on and it feels like a balmy summer day in here."

"T-That only works so well." Sasuke defended.

_"Right..."_ Ayumi said. "Erm, anyways, we have trouble! I heard it on my way to the bathhouse but it seems that Division Twelve had been attacked!"

There was a silent pause.

"What?" Sasuke managed to say.

"That's not all. I heard that the 12th Division captain's undergoing critical treatment at the 4th Division Barracks."

Sasuke frowned. This was no mild matter. A defeated captain was an indirect message to all of Gotei 13 that each division's pillar was not out of reach.

"Then most likely…"

"Our captain is attending an emergency meeting." Matsumoto drawled from her sleep.

He could tell at first glance that Ayumi was shaken up herself. The captains of the Gotei Thirteen were supposed to be invincible, one equivalent to a hundred Soul Reapers in overall power yet now there was one in critical condition fighting for his life.

Sasuke's expression became serious. He turned to his subordinate. "Ayumi, send out hell butterflies to all of the seated officers to the Division Assembly Hall. We need to be present for when the captain comes back."

"O-Okay!" She turned around and head out of the office. Sasuke sighed. That was one thing addressed.

As for Matsumoto…

_"I WIN! NOW STRIP OFF YOUR CLOTHES!"_ She yelled out loud in her sleep and then resumed to her snoring. Sasuke face palmed at her outburst and he recalled a phrase that Shikabane has used to describe Inomori at one time.

"Troublesome woman."

* * *

_**Shinigami Omake**_

_Focus, Focus, Focus..._

Akon was deeply focused in his work, determined to finish his task no matter what the distractions were around him. Even if that distraction was in the form of Kurotsuchi Nemu. Not that she was doing anything distracting but—

_Her leg shifted_—

Women were usually always up to something, as Akon had observed and he of course he couldn't let his guard down at all. It was one thing to be distracted but—

_This time, she crossed her legs, revealing more bare, smooth thighs_—

To pay attention to these creatures, especially those slender, curvaceous females was one thing that was unacceptable in the scientist community. That's why he had to—

_Nemu passed a hand over her thigh, removing a speck of dust before crossing her legs the other way again—_

_Focus. He had to focus on reiatsu reading, legs, analyzing the output of different experimental results, cream-skinned legs, calculate the percentage of the latest data, smooth le—_

"Akon?" Nemu called out.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes?" The scientist stammered out of his reverie.

"Focus." She ordered, going back to her data compilation.

Akon let out a resigned breath. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _Here is everyone! Double update for Transcending Bonds AND the long awaited one of Digital Redemption: Sasuke's Awakening. These have been works in progress, with a lot of set backs due to trying to piece together the conundrum that was Imperialpatty's original plan for Transcending Bonds and getting the feeling of DR right but I've accomplished both. I had a couple PMs which were asking if I'd be putting in Sesshomaru and that Zero guy in this. _

_I thought I had addressed that but to clarify: No I will not. _

_I have spent a good amount of time writing new characters to replace them, and restructuring the old chapters to address my new ones (Yes I have written new ones, two to be exact… or one and a half). This is a hell of a project for my summer break but its all worth it in my opinion. Imma give you my take on Transcending Bonds and it's going to be beast. _


End file.
